


Breath of Remnant

by VTheTrashKing



Category: RWBY, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Background Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Cinder being abusive, Crossover, Death Threats, Dreams, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Foreshadowing, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Is it a major character death if Link dies a lot?, Kidnapping, Link is a depressed boy, Link suffers (Part 2), Link suffers (part three), M/M, Minor Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Minor Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Minor Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, My First Work in This Fandom, Nightmares, OCs/Youtubers are minor characters, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV First Person, POV Third Person, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sign Language, Spoilers: Volume 3 (RWBY), Torture, Violence, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000, Y i k e s, Yang fights a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-05-02 13:23:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 166,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VTheTrashKing/pseuds/VTheTrashKing
Summary: Hyrule's Hero, Link ends up in an even stranger world. Remnant.





	1. A Disappointing End

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This is the very first story I've written on AO3, let alone in general, so I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> This particular story was meant for extra credit, in a class, but I became invested. 
> 
> I apologize for any grammar mistakes.

After traversing the entirety of a devastated land, after freeing and bringing peace to his fallen comrades, and after obliterating many enemies that roamed the world, Link had just one more thing to do: _Defeat Dark Beast Ganon_. The monster standing before him was simply an enormous boar, with violet flames as a mane and a body covered in Malice, a purple and black toxic substance. This hideous monster was the thing that ravaged Hyrule, killed the four Champions; his _friends_ , and kept Princess Zelda at a century old stalemate. It was safe to say that this creature needed to be _cooked_. 

It was long overdue, anyway.

Link debated using the Bow of Light, given to him by Princess Zelda, just to end the battle quicker, or killing the beast at a much slower rate. As much as he enjoyed killing very formidable monsters or opponents in mere seconds or killing them creatively, he decided drawing this battle out would be a much better idea. Not only can he “let go” of 100 years worth of pain and heartbreak as he cuts this beast down, but he can have the satisfaction of striking down a really large enemy. That, and he made the stupid decision of not bringing his horse along for this battle, which would have made this battle much easier, as he was in an enormous and barren field. Then again, he never really rode any of his horses throughout his journey, or brought them along in a battle. Poor, poor horses. He was _almost_ ready. Link double checked his bag, he had a mass amount of powerful bows, different types of arrows, weapons, food to replenish his health and stamina, fairies to revive himself, lastly the four champion abilities. _Mipha’s Grace:_ The former Zora Champion, Mipha had the ability to heal any wound, and even as a spirit, Mipha sought to revive and heal Link if he fell in battle, Mipha, the one Link grew up with and deeply cared for, was ready to help him once again. _Revali’s Gale:_ The Rito, Revali, who honed his skills, attempting to better himself as an archer every single day, came up with the ability to burst into the sky and rapidly shoot arrows, leaving an updraft in his wake, now that Revali gifted Link with his ability, Link was able to somehow, slow down time while he was in the air. Revali, the snarky, confident and condescending bird, had opened up to Link with his own insecurities and jealousy. Honestly, Link took a liking to him when they first met, and it seems Revali was willing to put his pride aside for this last battle. _Daruk’s Protection:_ Anyone would have thought that this huge Goron would be more inclined to destroy any monster or ravage the battlefield with an offensive ability. But no, Daruk had the ability to shield himself and his friends from danger with a huge glowing orange dome, it was sort of ironic, Link mused. Daruk was the fun, “dim witted” (he really wasn’t, he was very tactical, it was only to seem more friendly, even though nearly every Goron that Link met was kind enough), big brother type of guy. Everyone seemed to love him! Even grumpy Revs! Link was simply glad to have another person helping him. _Urbosa’s Fury:_ This abilty belonged to the former Gerudo chieftain and Champion, Urbosa, with a snap of her fingers, she could create lighting, completely devastating the battlefield. Urbosa was a strong and courageous woman; and a proud warrior, she also took a liking for teasing Link and the other Champions, _especially_ Revali. She had the utmost respect for her people until Ganon reared its ugly head, she was then ashamed to remember its origins and existence. The mother figure of the group was ready to finally get rid of the stain of the Gerudo. Link was, too. Lastly, there was Princess Zelda, who would continue to weaken Ganon. After learning about and witnessing Zelda’s struggles and the building pressure she had, Link sympathized with her. Sure, she was slightly bratty, but it wasn’t her fault. What’s a princess to do when she can’t awaken her powers to end Ganon, when her dad, King Rhoam failed to treat Zelda as his daughter and ordered her to focus on gaining her power, when she fails to protect her people in a time of crisis, when she has lost her mother? He knew! Lash out and cry, of course. Thankfully, Zelda will also help Link out.

Link was ready.

The behemoth instantly recognized Link, and very slowly charged toward him. Once Ganon was fairly close to Link, it began to stomp with it's incredibly large hooves, shaking the ground and causing Link to be knocked back. Link took his sweet time getting up, and quickly retaliated, by quickly eating some food with a decent defense boost, he crouched down to the ground and waited until he felt familiar chills run up and down his body and the gusts of air whipping around him; seeing Revali’s ghostly form, with a nod from Revali, the Rito spirit launched Link into the air while Link opened up his paraglider, circling Link as Revali let out a shout, disappearing and leaving behind an updraft. Once in the air, Link immediately put away his paraglider and brandished a Knight’s Bow, a metallic and wooden bow with an intricate blue and silver design. Nocking a bomb arrow, he pulled back the arrow and let it fly. The bomb arrow created a small but powerful explosion as soon as it hit Ganon. As Link remained nearly suspended in the air, he fired several bomb arrows right into Ganon’s side. Although time was slowing down to a crawl, he was rapidly losing stamina, and so to prevent plumenting to the ground, he placed his bow on his back, and reached into his bag for food. Yes, he continued to defy gravity by munching on a full course meal, in mid air. Once he regained his stamina, he took out his paraglider and sailed forward, floating right above Ganon, Link then placed his bow into his hands, nocking another bomb arrow and releasing it. He shot an array of bomb arrows, watching the multitude of slow explosions cloud his line of sight. Link let go of his bow, prompting him to descend rather quickly. Just as he’s about to land on Ganon, he pulled out a Lizal Tri-Boomerang, an upgraded form of the Lizal Boomerang, used by black Lizalfos. This particular boomerang essentially had three acute curved and serrated daggers smacked onto a hilt, but it was a fairly durable and powerful weapon. Tightening his grip on the hilt, he slashes a small area of Ganon’s back, nearly embedding the weapon into Ganon’s body. Link notes that this was probably a bad idea, not because his weapon was stuck (he hopes that it isn’t), but because he was standing on Malice and near Ganon’s violet fire. Oops. He’ll definitely hurt for days because of this, either way he braved the slow but nearly unbearable pain. Ganon realized that Link was standing right on it, so it began walking forward and stomping around, causing Link to fall face first into the slimy Malice, Link’s scream of pain was muffled. Eventually, Link recovered from his deadly face plant, but as Ganon continued to move, he lost his footing, tumbling down Ganon’s body and right down onto the ground. The grass did not break his fall, the Malice didn’t help, either, and he chose not to use Daruk’s Protection over _falling_ , so he died as soon as he hit the ground. 

The fight wasn’t over, however. Link opened his blue eyes; his vision blurry, to see the green ghostly figure of Mipha floating around him, reviving and healing his battered body. Before disappearing, every single time that he has fallen, she quietly says, “It is my pleasure.” And as always, he is never able to truly thank her due to the guilt of being unable to save her. Even so, he slowly gets up and once again prepares himself to fight. Before going back into the battlefield, he surveyed the damage he dealt to Ganon, even though he could not see any wounds, he noticed that Ganon hadn’t really got hurt. As he came to that disappointing conclusion, a very familiar voice in his head chastised him.

“Link, you imbecile! Idiot! I told you that Ganon won’t get hurt by normal means, I gave you the Bow of Light for a reason! Oh, Hylia save this boy from his idiocy.” Zelda’s accented voice rang in his head, oh how he wished he could retort, instead, he nodded. Zelda let out an annoyed sigh before continuing, “Alright, I will do my part in this battle, because _clearly_ , you need it. By the way, Ganon is preparing another attack, be careful.” 

_Gee, thanks Zelda. Well, better go with the first option._

Ganon faced Link and began charging a large dark energy beam from his maw, right at Link. A massive updraft appeared around the empty field. Ganon fired. Since Link didn’t bring his horse, he was unable to dodge this powerful attack, and nearly died. Link frantically opened his bag for more food, and ate it as he was sprinting away from Ganon. Zelda, once again spoke, replacing her annoyed tone with a much more calm and regal one, “I will hold the Malice back as much as I can, but my power is waning. Attack any glowing points that you see! May you be victorious!” Link continued to run as Ganon charged and fired another beam. The beam narrowly missing him. A moment later, golden sigils of light manifested across Ganon’s body. 

“I am holding back the Malice, attack Ganon, now Link!” Zelda announced.

Switching out his Knight’s Bow for the Bow of Light, Link nocked a light arrow (Zelda also gave him an infinite amount of these special arrows) and released the arrow into one of Zelda’s sigils. The beast roared in pain and Link grinned as he heard it cry out. Zelda cheered him on. Link dug into his bag for food, finding something to boost his speed. He began eating, feeling the effect of the meal, he nearly zoomed across the barren field, next to another sigil on Ganon’s right thigh. Ganon mindlessly attacked the land, burning half of the grass. Link shot another light arrow. Another pained roar. Another cheer. Link continued to shoot light arrows at the beast, until Zelda created yet another sigil on Ganon’s stomach. The sky began turning blood red, Link ignored that. Link shot another light arrow, once it hit the beast, Ganon exposed his core: a disgustingly huge eyeball with a glowing yellow iris. Link also noted how the updraft had yet to subside, so he opened his paraglider, allowing the winds to carry him up and sailed directly above the gigantic eye, he then closed his paraglider. As he was falling, he quickly opened his bag, producing the legendary weapon of Hyrule, the Master Sword; the sword glowed a bright blue due to Ganon’s presence. Link tightened his grip of the hilt, rotating his body and prepared a spin attack. He saw Urbosa in the corner of his eye, standing proud with a smile; snapping her fingers. Just as the Master Sword struck Ganon’s eye, a burst of lightning occurred around quarter of the field, effectively hitting Ganon’s entire body. He finally fell, right in into the Malice, again. The pain was much worse this time as part of the Malice wrapped around Link’s arm. Screaming and gasping in pain, he noticed that the Malice was _sinking_ into his arm, as well as various parts of his body. To Link’s horror, he noticed that his once sun kissed skin was turning into an ashen gray. Link struggled to free himself from the Malice as it continued to consume the rest of his body. He attempted to raise up his left arm, gripping onto his Zora Shield, so tightly that blood seeped into his black glove. He felt relief as Daruk’s nearly transparent form popped into existence, a orange dome surrounded Link, temporarily preventing any more injuries. Eventually, the dome began cracking, and Link, for the first time in a while, felt fear. It didn’t matter that he had fairies to revive him, or that he has died plenty of times, he’d fail at completing the task he was destined to do. 

_What if I fail, again?_

_If I die again, would that make the Champions’ sacrifice useless?_

_I’m sorry for failing Hyrule a second time._

_I’m sorry._

Before succumbing to the fear of failure, and another likely death, Princess Zelda emerged from Ganon’s core, smothered by a golden light. She slowly floated down, right in front of Ganon and clasped her hands together, Link could see a piece of the Triforce glowing brightly on the back of her hand. A moment passed. Zelda glowed even more as she returned Dark Beast Ganon into his ghost like state, and Link was finally freed from the Malice, opening his paraglider, he freely sailed in the air as Zelda stole the show. Ganon shot up into the air, coiling like a snake, his violet flames scorching the earth. Zelda slowly raised her right arm into the sky, her hand was completely engulfed in light. By now, a massive sphere of light covered the entire area, and a large glowing Triforce appeared right above her hand. Ganon was swept in. The sphere disappeared.

Ganon was gone, but the scars of the past still remained in Hyrule.

Even so, Link landed safely onto the ground, exhausted. Zelda stared at him for a few seconds, and Link stared back, with a wry smile on his face. Zelda slowly walked up to him with tears in her eyes. For a while, they said nothing, until Link pointed at his right arm, with a worried look on his face. 

“I don’t know if I can heal you, I did just use the last of my power and even if I can, I believe that removing the Malice would only cause you more pain, Link.” Link sighed in response. Before Zelda could say anything else, Link collapsed on the ground, the only thing he heard was the distant sound of Zelda’s sobs, before his body went completely numb.


	2. A Strange Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After collapsing, our favorite Hylian wakes up in an odd world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Again, I apologize for any errors.

Link woke up in a forest. Despite traveling through countless forests and woods in Hyrule, this particular forest was unfamiliar to him. He immediately grabbed his Sheikah Slate from his hip and turned it on. Link checked his map and was greeted with blue static. It was clear that he was no longer in Hyrule, as his map was malfunctioning. _Great._ He swiped left, to see that his runes were still present. He tapped on the Remote Bomb+ icon and it produced a small round light blue glowing bomb in his hands. Just to check if it worked, Link placed it on the ground and tapped on the tablet. It blew up as it was rolling away, and since the bomb was still fairly close to Link, he got caught in the blast. Next, he tapped the cube shaped bomb icon, which caused a glowing cube shaped bomb to appear in his hands. This time, Link kicked the bomb a fair distance away, and tapped the screen again. It blew up a nearby tree and thankfully not in his face! After checking and testing the two bombs, he tapped on the red magnet icon, eloquently named Magnesis+. As he held the tablet in his hands, it softly glowed red, and the ground around him turned a pinkish-red, Link searched for any bright pink objects, unfortunately he didn’t see any metallic objects, so he deactivated Magnesis+ with a disappointed sigh. He tapped the yellow padlock icon, Stasis+. Once he tapped the icon, the tablet and the ground glowed a dull yellow. The tree that had fallen was illuminated with a bright yellow glow. Link aimed the tablet at the tree and tapped the screen. Four bright yellow chains appeared on the tree, and quickly disappeared. As the tree continued to glow, the Sheikah Slate made a ticking sound, and as the seconds went by, the ticking got faster, eventually the chains reappeared and broke apart, signaling that Stasis+ wore off. Link smiled. Next, he tapped a snowflake icon, labeled Cryonis, Link knew that he couldn’t exactly activate this rune as there was _no_ water around, it was a forest after all, even so his tablet and the ground glowed a very light blue. He didn’t bother checking the Camera rune as he knew it would work regardless, that and this forest wasn’t photo worthy. 

After investigating his half broken Sheikah Slate, he checked his bag. _Champion abilities? Check. Tons of food and potions? Check and half check_ (Link wasn’t a big fan of odd tasting potions). _Fairies? Checkity check. Weapons? Che- wait._ Shocked, Link noticed that he had the former Champions’ weapons. That was _very_ strange. He’s never even touched these weapons, he felt weird and guilty as soon as he received them or held them for more than a minute, so he had placed them on the walls of his house in Hateno Village. _Why are they in my bag? How did this even happen?_ Mipha’s Lightscale Trident, Revali’s Great Eagle Bow, Daruk’s Boulder Breaker and Urbosa’s Scimitar of the Seven (including her Daybreaker shield) were all present in his bag. He never used any of these weapons for many different reasons. One, it reminded him of his failure 100 years ago. He couldn’t stop Ganon; he couldn’t save his friends from their fate, he was no Hero of Hyrule. Two, these were his friends’ weapons, and three, these weapons would eventually break (although he could find people to fix them). His mind began to wander to a pretty bad place. His heart lurched thinking of Mipha, his closest friend. How they met, how they gotten closer throughout the years, how kind she was, how every time she saw him, her face practically lit up. The realization that once he woke up from a 100 years of slumber, he didn’t know a _thing_ , and finding out that the statue in the center of Zora’s Domain was of Mipha, realizing that Mipha’s spirit had been waiting to be freed for a century. Realizing she _loved_ him and how it was too late to say, _I love you,_ back. 

Link was close to sobbing until he heard growling. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he noticed a pack of strange wolf-like creatures right in front of him. These _"Possibly Annoying Creatures"_ as Link put it, had black rugged fur, bone-like spines and glowing red eyes. To be safe (and to conserve his weapons), Link fetched a wooden Boko Club and a Dragonbone Wooden shield from his bag, placing his tablet back on his hip. Link wasn’t stupid, so he didn’t charge into battle, instead he wondered three things. One: _Where did these things come from?_ Two: _How did they suddenly appear out of nowhere?_ And the best question, _how do I kill them?_ Link could find a solution to the third question, or maybe even the second. Considering they just so happened to be here as soon as Link’s guilt consumed his thoughts, Link decided to test something. He carefully observed them as he thought of Mipha once again. The creatures seemed much more aggressive; the snarling became louder and they ever so slowly began to stalk forward. _Ah, I see._ Link concluded that these _Possibly Annoying Creatures_ were attracted to negative emotions, and that was annoying. He suddenly recalled his favorite hobby, taking pictures. Did he always have a love for taking pictures of deadly monsters? Nope, not until he gotten strong enough to face a Guardian, those things were terrifying, with their laser beams and creepy-crawly eight robotic legs that chased him down. Shuddering with the memory of those things, he put his club and shield on his back and grabbed the tablet. He tapped the Camera rune and snapped a picture of these wolves, imitating Purah, the "very young" Sheikah scientist, he spun around and snapped his fingers, _SNAP!_ Play time was over and now it was time to answer his third question. Pocketing his tablet, he grabbed his club with his left hand, and grabbed his shield with the other. Sensing a fight, one of the creatures lunged at him, Link dodged just in time, causing time to slow, he took this chance and bashed the monster with his club in quick succession, orange sparks emerged with each hit. After five or so hits, time began to flow naturally. To create a fair distance between the creatures and himself, Link backflipped, his feet hit the bark of a nearby tree. Using the force of the tree, he pushed himself forward and continued his assault on the first monster. He checked his weapon first. It was already in a bad shape, the wood was chipping away and the cloth wrapped around the end of the weapon was wearing away. He pocketed the weapon, and grabbed his tablet and quickly tapped the Stasis+ rune. Just as the first monster was charging at him, chains appeared from the monster, stopping it in its tracks. The other creatures looked on, in what seemed to be confusion, oddly, they also remained still. Link quickly put on his light blue Champion shirt, and suddenly he could exactly "see" the health and strength of these monsters. To his chagrin, the first monster didn’t look too hurt. As he heard the tablet ticking, he sprinted toward the frozen monster and whacked it a few more times. Link landed two more hits in. The monster was released from the effect of Stasis+, and immediately stood on its hind legs with ease. If he wasn’t focused on fighting, he would have been surprised. The creature clawed at him, and Link blocked the attack with his shield. Two of the monsters began circling him as the first one continued to attack Link. As the first monster struck his shield, the second bit deep into Link’s side, while the other lunged at him. _Yep, they were certainly annoying._

Link fell to the ground, bleeding. Stifling his pained gasp and slowly getting up, he decided he would end this fight very fast. Throwing his club directly into the first creature’s head, he watched as it shattered into luminous light blue pieces. There goes one weapon. With the first monster stunned, he quickly took out a Guardian Sword++, a large glowing blue weapon with a jagged blade and an interesting design. He spun his arm, and then rotated his body. He felt chills going up and down his spine, he _knew_ Urbosa was standing near him, so he nodded in thanks. Once the weapon sliced through the first monster’s leg, a green spark emitted from the weapon and his hand, soon enough green lightning rained above; shocking and killing the monsters. Urbosa vanished. Link sighed in relief and ate some food. _That was kinda fun, though!_ As he was eating, he wondered where exactly he had ended up.


	3. This Is the Link We're Waiting For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link meets a certain person.

Link began to stroll around the massive forest, keeping his emotions in check (although, it wasn’t hard to do). He heard footsteps. Not willing to jump into another fight, he quickly changed into his white Sheikah Stealth outfit. He carefully and almost silently walked around. The footsteps sounded closer. Link turned in the other direction and began to run, his footsteps barely making a sound. He didn’t dare to look back as he heard something burst; he also noticed a trail of rose petals in the air. Frantically, he dug into his bag to find a vial with dark green liquid. A speed potion, it lasted for two minutes. Once he practically ripped the cork from the vial, he drank the disgusting potion with a grimace. He ran faster, slightly desperate to outrun whatever was chasing him. A minute went by, the footsteps sounded painfully loud in his long ears. Sixty seconds, he pushed his body to run faster. Fifty seconds, his stamina was running out. Forty seconds, his body ached. Thirty seconds, his legs felt numb. Twenty and ten seconds, he stopped; preparing for another fight. Zero, a voice.

“Hey! Jaune? Phew, finally you stopped.” A high pitched voice called out to Link, he noticed that the voice sounded shaky, due to the chase that just occurred. Link turned around, facing the sound of the person’s voice. It was a girl. She had pale skin, bright silver eyes, with neck length choppy black hair with dark red at the tips. She wore a long sleeved thick black blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a black skirt with a red trim. She also wore black stockings and combat boots with red soles and on the top. The girl had a red hooded cloak fastened on her shoulders by cross shaped pins. A very fancy silver broach in the shape and design of a rose is pinned to a black belt slung on her hips at an odd angle. The belt had a pouch and bullets. _Wow, this girl loves red and black._ After taking in her appearance, he noticed what she was holding. A weapon. In her hands was an incredibly long scythe, just a bit taller than her, it, of course, had a red and black theme to it. 

Link hoped to Hylia that she wasn’t an enemy. He did _not_ wish to attack a child, even though he was technically one himself. The girl looked heavily confused, her expression changed into a curious one. She spoke up again, “Oh! Sorry, I thought you were somebody else. Anyway, I heard a bunch of explosions, so I ran all the way here. So, uh, nice to meet you?”

Link could not say anything, he was mute, after all. _Having your throat nearly crushed by an angry Lynel kinda does that to you._ Link stared at her blankly in response, he hoped that the girl understood that he no longer had a voice. The girl did not, and after a few awkward moments, she realized he couldn’t speak.

“Ah! I’m sorry about that, Ja- _mister,_ whoa, whoa, what’s _that?_ ” Her face lit up with awe and interest, Link noticed that she was intently staring at his weapon, that and her slip up. _Whoever this Jaune guy is, must look very similar to me._ The girl reached out for his weapon, and on instinct, Link roughly grabbed the girl’s wrist. She yelped in pain. The girl looked scared for a moment, then ready to fight. Upon realizing his mistake, he quickly let go of her wrist, giving her an apologetic look. Link pointed to his sword, and waved his finger as if to convey, please don’t touch this. Link also took a step back. After another bout of silence, she apologized once more. He nodded. She spoke again, “Okay! Lesson learned: No touchy the super cool sword! Uh, right, I have a couple of questions, you don’t have to answer them!” As if noticing her mistake, she backtracked, saying, “N-No, I mean, uh, sorry. Good job, me.” She blushed in embarrassment. Link laughed softly.

“Did you cause the explosion? I also saw some Beowolves, but they turned into smoke!” The girl asked. Link nodded, the girl looked incredibly shocked; her eyes widened as she replied, “You killed all those Grimm?! By yourself? Whoa, that’s awesome!” She gushed. _Beowolves? Grimm? I guess I found out the actual name of those monsters. Or at least one of them?_ He looked slightly embarrassed at the girl’s praise. The girl continued speaking, the excitement was clear in her voice, “You must have been like, ‘Wa-pow!’ and ‘Boom!’” The girl punched and kicked air as she spoke. Link nodded enthusiastically; he smiled underneath the black mask that currently covered half of his face. She laughed, clutching her sides. After a few seconds, Link noticed that the girl began walking, so he followed her; walking right next to her. The girl suddenly looked contemplative, then audibly exclaimed, “You look like a super sneaky ninja! That’s what I was thinking of. I really like your scarf, even your pinned up hair looks ninja-like!” _That’s why she looked so serious? My outfit? She isn’t wrong, though, I like the scarf, too. Wait, wasn’t she going to ask "a couple of questions"?_ He laughed at the girl’s statement.

“Next question! Do you know where you are?” The girl asked. Link shook his head. She asked another question, “Are you a traveller, then?” Link didn’t know how to respond, on one hand, he constantly explored Hyrule, going to many different places, but on the other hand, he knows nothing about the world he’s in now. So, Link tilted his head side to side, hopefully the girl understood what he meant. The girl’s eyebrows furrowed, placing a finger on her chin, she mumbled softly, “Okay, Jaune number two doesn’t know where he is, that’s kinda weird, he isn’t exactly a visitor, that’s also kinda weird.” He knew she was speaking to herself, but due to his very good hearing, he picked it up, anyway.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you know what Remnant is? Vale?” He shook his head. She froze, not knowing how to respond. The silence was slightly awkward. 

“Well, uh, next question?” She suggested awkwardly. He nodded, as she unfroze and continued walking. “Do you know where that lightning came from?” 

He stopped walking. Judging by the absolutely _terrified_ look on her face, he must have glared at her rather coldly, he then shook his head violently. He would not spill his secrets, he did not want a target on his back, _again._ Even though this girl seems innocent enough, and even though he was quick to warm up to her, he would not answer that question truthfully. _I don’t want to be hunted down, I’ve already dealt with those Mighty Banana loving assassins trying to kill me at every turn, I’m not going through with that annoyance._

The silence became uncomfortable. The girl struggled to speak up, probably fearing another negative reaction. Link didn’t know how to convey his feelings without words, especially since the girl wouldn’t understand him. The silence stretched on for a while until the girl spoke up again, much quieter than before.

“I’m sorry. Gee, I’m saying that a lot. I didn’t mean to do that.” Link felt bad, seeing the girl so dejected; it didn’t fit her, even though he has only met her for a few minutes. Link gently tapped her shoulder, once she completely faced him, he lowered his mask down to his chin and gave her a thumbs up, grinning widely. She smiled back, looking relieved. 

“Aw man, I left my cookies! I could have gave you some.” She complained with a pout. Hearing the word cookies brought another smile onto his face. He loved food, after all. He laughed as he noticed that the girl’s sour mood quickly brightened, as if nothing ever happened. 

“Can I ask a few more questions?” The girl asked quietly. Link nodded. The girl cheered before asking, “Do you know what a Semblance is?” Link shook his head.

“Hmm, how do I explain this? Ah, okay! So a Semblance is a unique ability that most people have, so I can run super fast, like this,” the girl suddenly dashed forward at an unnatural speed, leaving a trail rose petals behind her. It almost looked like she teleported. The girl ended up several feet away from him, she yelled, “See?! That’s my Semblance!” So that’s where those rose petals came from, who would have guessed? Link began running after her, once he caught up with her, she spoke up again, “Last question! Would you come with me to Beacon? I know that sounds suspicious, but I feel like you’d have nowhere to go, plus Beacon is safe!” _Bacon? Food? Wait, she said to, that’s a place. Does it serve food? Beacon, huh? Well I have nowhere to go, that’s true, but in Hyrule, I never stayed in one place, then again, I have no idea where I am, so I’ll go._ He nodded. The girl cheered, until she had a look of realization on her face.

“Wait! I didn’t tell you my name! I’m Ruby, Ruby Rose!” _Ruby. Rose. Wow. Red, very red sounding. Who named this child? Poor kid. It fits, though._

And so, the duo began heading to Beacon, with Ruby leading the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if I got Ruby wrong. If I did, I apologize.


	4. A Yang To The Face! A New Life?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of RWBY, and more.

After a few long hours, Ruby announced that they had arrived. To Link’s dismay, Beacon wasn’t food, it was, in fact, actually a really fancy school. _This isn't a school, it was a castle._ There was a long dark gray pathway leading up to what seemed to be the main building, and its incredibly huge doorway, which opened up to a large amphitheater surrounded by a double ring of colonnades bisected by the main pathway with the outer ring raised high over the main entrance to the school itself. The pathway was marked with trees and flag poles, as well as several aqueduct-like features and archways. The tall tower in the distance had glowing green spheres and clockwork mechanisms. In the front of the entrance to the main building, was a large statue of a man and woman taking down a Beowolf, there is also a small pond with a garden of red trees. 

Link stared in awe, Ruby laughed at his expression before announcing, “This is Beacon Academy! It’s the best!” Link nodded in agreement. After admiring the school, he noticed that three girls had walked out of the building, with worry plastered on all their faces. The three girls focused on Ruby, nearly ignoring him, except one girl in particular; her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Ruby fidgeted as she awkwardly called out to them, “Weiss, Yang, Blake! Hey!” Link had no idea which girl was which. There was a girl with pale white skin with icy blue eyes and long white hair pulled back into an off center bun tail pinned by a icicle shaped tiara. A crooked scar ran vertically down her left eye. She wore a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color change from white to pale blue at the hem. A small piece of black lace sat in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress was scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt. Over this she wore a bell sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar. She also wore a small apple pendant on a silver chain and thin, rectangular silver earrings. Her boots were white, wedged heeled and higher at the back than the front. They had a small silver decoration across the top of the foot and were lined in red. A thin white sash was tied around her waist with a pouch attached to the back. Her regal and snobbish voice questioned Ruby harshly, “Ruby, where were you? We have wasted an hour just looking for you,” her expression and voice softened when she noticed the guilty look on Ruby’s face, “I apologize, I meant to say that we were just worried.” 

“I’m sorry Weiss, at first I wanted to find some Grimm; train n’ stuff, but I found something else, or well, someone.” Ruby held out her arms towards Link as if he was some sort of prize to behold. He nearly laughed at the girl’s antics. Looking at the girl in white, Weiss, he was immediately reminded of Princess Zelda. _If Weiss ever met Zelda, they’d make great friends! I think my new nickname for her is Princess Weiss, that or Ice Lady. Dumb names, I know._ Weiss’ sharp blue eyes glanced at Link, her face barely showing her disgust. She quickly asked Ruby another question, “Why in Remnant have you brought a stranger here? A faunus?” _Oh boy, I don’t know what a faunus is, but wow Ice Lady, so mean._ One of the girls looked mildly upset, the first one who paid attention to him. 

Another girl spoke up, chiding Weiss; a grin on her face. This girl had fair skin with lilac eyes and bright golden hair worn loose that faded into a pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out from the top. She wore a tan jacket that bares her lower stomach with golden piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that have two golden buttons. Underneath her jacket, she had a low cut yellow crop top with a black emblem that resembled fire on the left side of her chest. She also wore a brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist, with her emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold. Underneath this was a longer, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side, as well as a pair of black mini-shorts. She wore a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee. A lavender bandana was tied around her left knee. An orange infinity scarf and black fingerless gloves completed her outfit. On her hands were yellow and black bracelets. _Is she a bee, or something? I’m seeing a pattern here._ The girl’s voice was just as playful as her smile, “Come on _Weiss-cream_ , don’t be so _cold!_ ” The blonde began laughing hard at her own pun; red in the face. Link laughed softly. Weiss rolled her eyes while the girl in black shook her head and went back to "subtly" glance at Link.

Ruby groaned out loud, “Yang, that wasn’t even funny!”

“Puns are the best form of humor, sis!” Yang exclaimed in retaliation. _Wait, ‘sis’? They look nothing alike!_ It seemed like everyone except Link and Yang disagreed with that statement, judging by the look on their faces. 

At this point, Link was growing uncomfortable by the girl’s constant staring. The girl had fair skin and amber eyes and long black hair, she wore a large black bow on the top of her head. She wore purple eyeshadow in catseye style. 

She wore a black buttoned vest with coattails and single silver button on the front. Underneath the vest was a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg. She also wore black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles. A white emblem was visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts. On her left arm was a detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons wrapped around both forearms. A small, loose scarf was wrapped around her neck. 

The girl, Blake, looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it. She then, looked away.

He glanced at Ruby. She was starting to stretch, raising her right arm in the air, the other going behind her. Her right sleeve slightly lowered, revealing a fresh bruise on her wrist. Oh no. Yang glanced at Ruby’s wrist then to Link. Her playful and laid back demeanor vanished as her lilac eyes turned a bright red, and her hair had begun to glow; almost as if it was on fire. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger; her eyes clearly conveyed hostility and rage, _she looked as aggressive as a Lynel._

“Did. You. Hurt. My _sister?!_ ” She spat, furiously. In response, Link raised his hands in surrender, there wasn’t much he could do. Thankfully, Ruby defended him, the best she could.

“Yang, no! He didn’t mean to, I just-” Ruby was interrupted harshly by Yang. 

“‘Didn’t mean to’? Really, Rubes? He hurt you! There’s no excuse for that!” She yelled. Link noticed that Weiss flinched at Yang’s tone. She looked so afraid, for only a second. Blake sighed. _Are these two not going to help me? But why?_ Suddenly in a fighting stance, Yang’s bracelets morphed into gauntlets; they glowed yellow. She abruptly dashed toward Link with her left arm outstretched and her right pulled back; hand curled into a fist. Just as Yang was about to attack, Link dodged causing time to slow around him, Yang’s angry expression slowly changed into a curious look. Link did not take the chance to fight, so time went back to normal. Yang quickly sidestepped, preparing another punch, but to Link’s surprise, she fired several close range explosive shots. Link dodged, again. Infuriated, Yang rapidly punched him, her hits landed. Hard. Link was sent to the ground. Not caring if Link was unable to recover, Yang kicked him in the chest, then fired another explosive shot right in his face. Yang jumped back, giving him time to get up. She taunted him, saying, “Come on! If you can harm my sister, you can harm me! Get up, already!” 

Ruby gave the two girls a pleading look as Link slowly stood up. Weiss glanced at Yang, and spoke up. 

“Yang,” she started slowly, Yang looked at her for a second before returning her gaze to Link, Weiss continued, “You haven’t even listened to Ruby, or this boy. And right now, you are beating a defenseless person, most likely to death!” 

Yang said nothing, opting to just stare at Weiss. After a few seconds, Yang simply ignored Weiss in favor of questioning Link. 

“Okay, so _what_ happened?” The rage in her voice was still present. Link’s blue eyes widened in panic. Sadly, he couldn’t say a single thing, his shoulders slumped as he looked away. Fed up, Yang continued her assault. Exchanging her bullets for tiny missiles, she immediately fired them at Link, she then leapt into the air, only to quickly descend and punch Link in the face. Link fell, once again, due to the impact. He felt blood from his forehead trickle down, right above his eye. Yang directed her attention to Weiss, annoyance was clear in her voice, “Well, I _listened_ to him, too bad he didn’t say anything.” Weiss looked like she wanted to say many things at once, instead she sighed. 

Link got up. He grabbed the shield on his back with his left hand. The least he could do is defend himself. Yang rose an eyebrow before firing another missile. Link held his shield up, quickly flicking his arm outward; to the left, effectively parrying the missile with his shield, once again briefly slowing down time. He backflipped away from Yang as she dodged her own missile. Pulling her arms slightly back, she launched herself forward, switching back to bullets; she fired; it hit, once she had gotten close enough to Link, she punched him right in the stomach. Since Link was unable to retaliate, Yang sidestepped and put all her force into one more punch. Once she hit Link, he skidded across the ground, leaving a small blood trail. Ruby, Weiss and Blake looked on in horror, Ruby ran up to him and crouched down. Yang looked smug. Link slowly sat up when a another voice was heard seemingly out of nowhere. 

“Miss Xiao Long, please do consider calming down, we would not want to suspend you, or place you under arrest.” The calm voice belonged to a man. This man had messy silver hair and thin brown eyes. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features. Oddly enough, he had black eyebrows. He wore shaded glass spectacles and a small purple cross shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. He had an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long dark green pants. He held a cane in his hand. Yang sputtered in embarrassment before shouting, “Professor Ozpin!” 

The man, Ozpin, shook his head. Link finally stood up. Ozpin gazed at the the four girls, then to Link. He spoke up again, a slight smile on his face, “Why don’t we go inside? I believe the four of you have class, do you not?” As Ozpin began to open the door, Link was instantly amazed, to him, the inside of Beacon Academy reminded him of Hyrule Castle, before Calamity Ganon had attacked. Red carpets with many rooms. The four girls left, probably for class. Ozpin walked with confidence, eventually stopping at an elevator. Ozpin glanced at Link, then to the elevator. _What is this?_ Ozpin pressed a button, causing the elevator door to open, both men stepped inside. The door closed, and the elevator began to ascend. Ozpin looked calm while Link was becoming antsy. He didn’t know what this thing was, after all. Ozpin quickly noticed Link’s behavior, and tried to calm him down, saying, “Relax young man, you will be fine. It’s just a means of transportation.” 

Link didn't realize he was hyperventilating, he attempted to calm himself down. Before he knew it, the _Ride of Horror_ was over. The door finally had opened, revealing a large office. The walls were a very pale green, and the floor was gray, and possibly had a hint of green. Once Link and Ozpin walked out of the elevator, Link noticed two things. One, the ceiling had enormous spinning gears, in fact the office had a gear or some sort of clockwork theme. Two, he realized that they were high up as there were windows; looking out of these windows, the ground and the trees looked so tiny. In the center of the room, was a curved metal desk with a mug, and a oddly designed metal chair. Ozpin, then sat in his metal chair, his head was tilted slightly to the left, he grabbed his mug, his expression was obscured by his white mug. Link thought the mug was empty, but to his surprise, Ozpin had sipped what seemed to be coffee. Ozpin placed his mug down and spoke. 

“I don’t believe I have seen you around in Remnant.” _Oof. I mean, that is a correct statement, Ozpin. What do I even ‘say’? How can I eve- Wait. I forgot I could use sign language. Perhaps he knows it? Hylia, please, let him understand me._ Link looked away, sheepishly. He then, with shaky fingers, began to sign. 

‘I don’t want to seem disrespectful, but how can you know that you’ve haven’t seen me in Remnant?’ Ozpin smiled, as if he knew something Link did not. Ozpin responded, vaguely, “I have travelled quite a lot in my life, however, you do not need to worry.” _Uh. What? ‘Travelled’? Alright, alright, no questions about that. On a good note, ‘Mysterious Gray Haired Man’ understands me! Win-win!_

‘Right. Can you tell me about this academy, then?’ Ozpin nodded in response.

“Yes, this is Beacon Academy, a school specialized in training young men and women, to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, respectively. In this world, we are overrun by Grimm, and to protect the world, Huntsmen and Huntresses fight them. Once a student is enrolled in Beacon Academy, they form a team of four. Of course, this is a school, so there is a curriculum in place. In order to prepare out future warriors, we send them to complete missions, either by themselves or with a staff member.” _Ah, so it’s like my Knight’s training? Wait, did he say teams? Yeah, no thanks, not doing that again._

‘I-’ _I can’t be on another team. I can’t. The so-called Hero of Hyrule can’t even join another team. It’s truly pathetic of me, isn’t it? All because my fellow team members were killed. I couldn’t even-_ Ozpin’s voice snapped Link out of his mind. 

“I have seen that look on many Huntsmen and Huntresses, I understand. Even though teams are a huge focus here, Beacon Academy and I will accommodate to your needs. Ah, I haven’t asked for your name, pardon me.” 

_So no teams for me? Phew, good. No more heartbreak!_ ‘Thank you, Ozpin. Oh, I’m Link!’ Ozpin raised an eyebrow before asking, “Do you not have a last name? How odd.” _Don’t call me odd! Right, a last name. I mean, the Zora King Dorephan felt like my surrogate father, so I’d want to honor him and my memories of Zora’s Domain. Link Dorephan is ready to hit the town! It has a nice ring to it, I think._ Link realized that he might have taken a bit too long to think about it as Ozpin had this knowing look on his face.

‘Dorephan, I mean, that’s my last name. I have issues with memory loss, sorry.’ Ozpin didn’t look too convinced, but chose not to press. 

“In order to enroll in Beacon, you must take a test,” Ozpin paused, taking another sip of hot cocoa, Link nearly groaned, he knew he was smart, but tests weren’t his favorite thing in the world, “I was not finished, Mr. Dorephan, the test you must take is skill based, in other words, your ability to fight.” _Guess who just started liking tests? This guy! I wonder if this test will be anything like those ‘Test of Strength’ shrines in Hyrule._

‘When will I start?’ 

Ozpin chuckled before speaking, “Tomorrow. Fighting in your current condition wouldn’t be very wise.” 

‘I can heal myself, don’t worry Ozzy, I mean Ozpin.’ Ozpin smiled at the nickname, despite his kind expression, he didn’t believe Link. He spoke up, his calm voice never wavering, “Really? I do not doubt you, however, I suggest you start this test, tomorrow. I will say that I appreciate your eagerness.” 

_No fighting until tomorrow? That sucks._

‘Alright, with that settled, I have another question. Where will I stay in the meantime?’ 

Ozpin quickly responded, “In our dorms, of course. There is a dorm room available for a single person. Would you please follow me, once again?” 

Steeling himself for another elevator ride, he nodded. Ozpin got up from his chair and headed toward the elevator door. Link, right behind him. Ozpin pressed a button, the door opened, he then stepped inside. Link reluctantly followed suit. To calm himself down, Link initiated a conversation. 

‘You have a nice office.’ Link wasn’t good with compliments while scared. Ozpin laughed.

“Thank you, Mr. Dorephan.” 

‘The school is nice, too.’ 

Ozpin hummed in acknowledgment.

‘Sorry.’

“It’s quite fine.”

It seemed like hours had passed while Link was “trapped” in the elevator. In reality, it took several minutes to reach the school. As they stepped out, Link felt light headed. Ozpin looked concerned. 

‘I’ll be fine, go ahead.’ 

Ozpin nodded and begun walking, Link walked next to him. After taking a few turns, walking up two flights of stairs, and strolling through the hallway, the two reached a wooden door. Ozpin opened the door, he and Link stepped inside, Link closed the door behind them. The room was spacious and nearly empty. It had a wooden floor, with a circular dark red rug. There was one window in the center of the wall. There was a twin sized bed, with a wooden bed frame in the left corner, in the back of the room. It had white bed sheets and a red blanket, a pillow with a red casing sat neatly on the bed. A wooden nightstand was next to the bed, a pale red lamp was placed in the center of it. In the far right of the room there was a fairly medium sized closet; it was empty. There also was a wooden student desk just below the window, a wooden chair with a red chair cushion was pushed under the desk. The desk had two drawers with black handles, it also had a medium empty vase placed on the right corner of the desk. _This room looks pretty nice._

“Is this room to your liking, Mr. Dorephan?”

Link nodded, prompting Ozpin to speak again, “After you complete the test, you will receive a schedule and a uniform. You will get a Scroll by tomorrow morning. However, that is if you can pass the test.” _Uh. A Scroll? I’m not too worried about this test, though! It’ll be fun, fighting is great 80% of the time, anyway._ Link nodded, albeit with confusion written on his face. Ozpin smiled, “You must be confused about the Scroll I just mentioned. It is a communication device; among other things, it resembles the tablet on your hip, if that helps.” That seems pretty useful.

‘Is it customizable?’

“Yes, it is. What would you like?” Link looked excited, sparkles were in his eyes.

Link thought about it in seconds. He wanted to represent his friends. _Dark red for Mipha, navy blue for Revali, bright red for Urbosa, orange for Daruk and gold for Zelda. As for me, turquoise!_

‘Since it’s like my tablet, how about turquoise on the left side and dark and bright red, navy blue, orange, and gold on the right? The gold part would be small vertical stripes, but it’s slanted and on top of the four colors. Is that too much?’

“Not at all, Mr. Dorephan.” Link, in response, grinned.

‘Thank you so much.’

“I must take my leave, I wish you luck for tomorrow.” With that, Ozpin opened the door and left the room; walking away, most likely heading back to his office. Link strolled over to the desk. Opening his bag, he took out several different kinds of flowers. Two blue nightshades, a light blue flower with three bell-like petals, they also glowed in the dark. Three electric saffinas, a yellow fern-like plant. One fleet-lotus, a bright yellowish orange plant. Lastly, four silent princesses, a simple but rare light blue and white flower. He also took out a cup of water. Link poured the water into the vase, and gently placed each flower into the vase, as well. Satisfied, Link grabbed his Sheikah Slate and opened up the Camera rune. He snapped a close up of the now flower filled vase, with a smile on his face. _Aaaaand, there!_

Link noticed it was still daytime. With nothing to do, he stuffed his weapons into his bag and placed it on the floor, he walked over to his bed and slept.


	5. A Warrior’s Rite of Passage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link starts his test.
> 
> Sorry for grammar mistakes.

Link awoke to the bright morning sun pouring through his window. Link quickly got up from his bed, it wasn’t too messy, so he left it alone. He decided to change into his favorite mash of clothes. Digging into his bag, he took out his amber earrings, a pair of Soldier’s greaves and last but not least, his black Hylian tunic. He brushed his long dirty blonde sideburns from his ears, he removed his small light blue looped ear cuffs and replaced them with his fairly large triangle shaped amber earrings, with the pair of dangling earrings in his ears, he removed the light blue rubber band from his hair, he also pulled out the two short pins from his hair. Running his hand through his hair to attempt to make it neater, he then tied his hair into a short ponytail. He took off his scarf, black mask, and long sleeved white Sheikah Stealth armor; he struggled to remove his tights. The Hylian tunic had two brown leather belts which were at an angle; one slung around his chest, the other at his hip, it also had a brown leather chestplate, two brown wrist guards with dark brown fingerless gloves, and one small brown leather shoulder piece on the right. Underneath the belt around his hip, had black cloth that was wrapped around the tunic. Near the hem and short sleeves of the tunic was a simple design: tiny orange triangles and white thin lines in the shape of larger triangles. At the bottom of the sleeves and hem was a thin gray trim. He put on the tunic. Since the tunic was short sleeved, Link wore a longer sleeved shirt underneath, the sleeves were obscured by the wrist guards and the much shorter sleeves. Another belt that the Sheikah Slate was hooked onto completed the look. Next, was his soldier’s greaves. The metal had an intricate design and the greaves included black leggings. He put them on. Last but not least, he grabbed his bag. _Okay!_

Opening his door, Link noticed a small white box. He, the ever curious young man, opened it while humming a tune. The item inside, was, in fact the Scroll that Ozpin spoke about. The only reason he could tell was because of the design he requested. It was actually smaller than his tablet. It seemed to be closed as the turquoise and multi colored grips were super close together. On the left grip was a tiny yellow diamond shaped button in the center. He picked up the Scroll and pressed the button. He held the grips and pulled them apart. Link was now staring at a translucent panel. The words were unrecognizable, Link was having a slight headache looking at this gibberish. What even is this? This obviously isn't the Hylian language. Deciding to mess around with it, he tapped random icons. He seemed to have got somewhere, as there were now small pictures of Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake and Ozpin, words were below each picture. Blinking in confusion, he tapped Ozpin’s picture. He heard a trilling noise, then Ozpin’s voice. He nearly dropped his Scroll in surprise. _Whoa! This thing is awesome! Confusing but awesome!_

“Mr. Dorephan?”

Silence.

“Right. Good morning, I’m glad to see that your Scroll is working, I will be at your dorm room very shortly.” Oh yeah, it’s working, too bad I don’t understand what it’s saying! The panel flashed a dim red, signaling the end of the call. Link placed the empty box in his room. A few minutes later, Ozpin appeared with his mug in his right hand.

‘Good morning, Ozpin! I need help. I can’t understand any of this.’ Link looked embarrassed, showing his Scroll to Ozpin. Thankfully, Ozpin didn’t say anything about that and thoroughly explained what the Scroll could do, what the words said, and he even went through each ‘application’, by the end of this mini-lesson, Link was confident that he understood all of this information, he was a fairly quick learner, after all. 

“Would you please follow me?” Link nodded in response, and with that, Ozpin begun to stroll towards one of the stairways. Before following Ozpin, Link locked the door using his Scroll on the way out. After a few minutes, the two men were outside. They kept walking until they saw a large cliff. There were evenly lined gray platforms on the ground. Ozpin walked near the edge of the cliff, he reached into his pocket and grabbed his black Scroll. Link warily stepped on one of the platforms. Link pointed to them in confusion. Ozpin sipped his hot cocoa before speaking, “That, is a launch pad, all you need figure out is a landing strategy. Today, your skills in deduction and battle will be evaluated in Emerald Forest. After you land, make sure to head to the northern end of the forest. You most likely will encounter obstacles along the way, it is in your best interest not to avoid them, it is up to you, however. You will be monitored and graded during your initiation. Once you have reached the end of the forest, you will find an abandoned temple, along with a large relic, when you find this relic, please return to the top of the cliff.” 

After a minute of silence, Ozpin spoke up again, “Any questions?” Link shook his head.

“Good. Prepare yourself, Mr. Dorephan.” With those last words, Ozpin tapped his Scroll, causing the launch pad to, well, launch, sending Link into the air; heading toward the forest. Flailing slightly, he opened up his paraglider and sailed down. It took a few minutes before he landed safely on the ground, his stamina nearly ran out. He opened his bag and reached out for food. He quickly ate it. _This forest is pretty big, and I want to explore!_ Treading through the forest, he decided to turn left. Since there wasn’t a defined path, Link deduced he might get lost. Even so, he continued to head west. After a few minutes, his exploration was cut short when he heard some Grimm in the distance. _Should I kill them? Or should I avoid them? Option A: Bombs, bomb arrows and a sword. Option B: Ice arrows and escape? Or maybe, the third option: Taking a picture? Hmmm. Or perhaps, all three! YEAH! All three it is!_ Link decided to walk up to them, unarmed. _Alright, before I choose any of these options, I gotta test these Grimm._ These Grimm were different from the Beowolves he had encountered. The four Grimm resembled boars, they had white bone plates, four red eyes and large tusks. Taking out his Scroll and pulling the grips apart, he tapped the camera icon, and snapped a picture of them. Link put his Scroll on the other side of his hip. He whistled at them, finally catching the boars’ attention. Upon realizing that a person was standing in front of them, without any weapons, one of them attacked, the three other boars began making noises. One of them had charged toward Link, and since he didn’t dodge or block the attack, he was hit fairly hard. The boar was stunned. Link was on the ground. _Alright, even with my strongest armor, these ‘Boar-Boars’ hit hard. Well, sort of hard. 6/10 strength? Yeah. Seems good._ Link got up. Taking out his Knight’s Bow, he nocked an ice arrow and fired at the stunned boar. The boar was now frozen solid. Three more boars left! Noticing that their buddy was an icicle, the remaining boars finally attacked. One charged blindly towards Link, and he dodged. Link quickly took out his Knight’s Broadsword and begun slashing at the boar as time slowed down. Time began to flow naturally and Link realized the boar was struggling to stand up. The other two rammed him with their tusks, Link managed to dodge both; he chose not to attack. Backflipping to create some distance between him and the nearly dead ‘Boar-Boar’, he switched his ice arrows for bomb arrows, he nocked one and quickly shot it. It hit the boar right in the head, killing it, the blast also killed the rest. A small fire and black smoke were the only things that remained. _Oops. I forgot how deadly bomb arrows are. Aww, I’m sad. At least they are dead!_ Link grabbed his Scroll once again, and tapped the camera icon. Once in the ‘Camera App’, Link tapped the small pen icon and decided to edit his first photo. On the right side of the photograph, the side with grass, he softly dragged his finger on the panel, as if he was writing. It was slightly hard to ‘write’ neatly on this screen, but the words he wrote were understandable. It read: Name: ‘Boar-Boars’, Strength: 6/10. Weakness: Bomb arrows. _And done! Woo! Poor Steve, Bob, Wade and Philip, though._ He placed his sword and bow on his back.

He continued to walk, as if nothing had happened. He was already itching for a fight, but he ignored it for the sake of exploring. Strolling through the thick brush, he found some mushrooms! They were an assortment of bright colors. He blinked. Link picked them up, he wasn’t sure if these mushrooms were helpful or dangerous, even so, he took a picture of them and ate one. He immediately felt sick and spat it out; there was disgust written all over his face. _Yucky, yucky. They taste bad, I just hope they are useful._ Link went back to exploring. After walking for what seemed to be miles, Link came across a single tree. He noticed that there was a nest with cracked bird eggs. Link was about to start walking until he heard pitiful chirping. Looking up, he saw a light green baby bird. The tiny bird had small blue spots on its cheeks and a darker shade of green colored its stomach, its eyes were black. It’s beak was a light pink. The tips of its tiny wings were cyan. Briefly, Link looked down. He nearly threw up. On the ground was the remains of a bigger bird. It had green plumage. Some of the feathers were scattered around its body. Sighing, he took out his hairpins, a small and thin piece of wood and two tiny pieces of dark green cloth from his bag. He tied the cloth to the end of one of the pins, making a tiny flag pole, next he made an X with the small piece of wood and the other pin. He raised the wood near the end of the hairpin and tied it together with the other cloth, it looked like a sword. Link stuck both the mini-flagpole and sword into the ground. He whistled to get the baby bird’s attention. The bird stopped chirping, most likely alarmed. Link whistled quietly and the bird let out a stilted chirp. The bird hopped. Link, suddenly determined, began climbing the tree. Once he reached the top of the tree, the bird’s chirping sounded slightly distressed. Link’s head was very close to the nest. Link began humming softly and the small bird cooed in response. He bent his head forward, his hair was extremely close to the baby bird. The small bird gave an experimental light peck to Link’s hair, the bird deemed Link’s hair as a safe place as it began to hop on top of Link’s head. It quickly made a nest out of Link’s dirty blonde hair. Link decided to climb down the tree. He ate some food as soon as his feet touched the ground. The bird chirped. Link lightly grabbed the bird with his right hand, using his left index finger he began to gently stroke the bird’s head. The bird cooed and closed its eyes. It was adorable. Link smiled. Link then placed the tiny bird on his left arm, and it begun to climb onto his shoulder. The bird sneezed and flicked its head when Link’s hair was suddenly in its face. Link stretched. The bird suddenly began chirping, as if it was singing, its chirping was slow and soft until it shifted into a much more energetic and fast tune. Link hummed in a low tone, creating a harmony. The bird chirped louder and hopped. A minute or two had passed and both he and the bird quieted down. _I love him and I’m naming him Button!_ Laughing softly, Link started walking in the right direction. 

After walking for some time, Button began trembling and letting out a low chirp of distress. Link hummed softly to Button. Slightly tuning out Button’s distressed chirps, he heard roaring, it sounded like a bear. _What should I do about Button? Maybe I should put him in my bag? He can make friends with the five frogs I have bouncing around in my bag!_ With a nod, Link gently cupped Button and softly placed the bird into his bag, he also grabbed a Zora shield. He heard muffled chirping. Link unsheathed his sword with his right hand, his shield was in his left. He sprinted until he was a fair distance away from the Grimm. He was correct, it was a bear! This Grimm was rather large, it had jet black fur, bony spines, a skull mask with red lines, and many bone plates on its back and limbs. _What’s a good name for this bear? Toby! Perfect._ Once spotting Link, it instantly ran toward him and roared. Link placed his shield and sword on his back and grabbed his Scroll. He snapped another picture. He then replaced his Scroll with his weapon and shield. The bear quickly lunged at Link, knocking him down to the ground. Link felt a bruise forming somewhere on his body. _Toby is quite strong. 8/10, congratulations Toby, your prize is death!_ Link got up and ran towards it; his shield was held tightly in his left hand. He swung his sword hard into _Toby’s_ left front leg. It’s leg was sliced off due to the force of the swing. _Toby_ roared in pain. Through it’s pain, _Toby_ stood on its hind legs and using its claws on its right paw, the bear slashed at Link’s chest. Link blocked just in the nick of time, giving him a chance to attack this bear. Link landed about six successful strikes; an orange spark was created after each hit until time flowed naturally. The bear looked a bit weaker. Link quickly sheathed his sword and placed his shield on his back, he grabbed his bow. Link rapidly began shooting bomb arrows at the bear’s head. It finally had collapsed; _Toby’s_ body evaporated into black smoke. Link whistled. Button chirped and Link took him out of his bag. He placed Button on his head. The bird chirped happily. Link grabbed his Scroll and pulled the grips apart. He tapped the Camera App, and once again tapped the pen icon. He edited the photo of the bear and ‘wrote’ this: Name: ‘Toby’, Strength: 8/10, Weakness: Bomb arrows. Link dug into his bag to find more food; he ate some and continued walking. 

His stroll through the forest was uneventful until he saw a pack of Beowolves, Button chirped in fright and alarm. He took a picture of them with his Scroll, he then switched his bomb arrows for ice arrows and shot the arrows at each Beowolf. With all six Beowolves frozen, Link made a mad dash pass them, by the time they unfroze, Link was long gone. Looking up, he noticed that it was no longer morning, in fact, it was now afternoon. Judging by the position of the sun, it was about twelve in the afternoon. He continued walking for an hour until he reached a ruined temple. In the center of the ruins was a large black chess piece; a knight, it was about three feet long, Link walked towards it and picked it up with his right hand, Button chirped happily. He stuffed the over sized chess piece in his bag, and gently put Button in his bag, as well. 

For a moment, it was silent.

Link heard an ear splitting screech, and because his hearing was sensitive, he held his head in pain. Link looked up to see a _very_ large bird. It had black plumage, two claws were attached to its wings, four glowing red eyes; two on each side of its head and a bone-like mask. The mask had a fin made out of bone. 

Link remembered that he would be recorded, he did not want to activate any of the Champion powers, he sighed as he realized that he would need Revali’s Gale to even reach the large bird. He doubted that his arrows would hit the bird from here. _Wait. Didn’t Ruby mention something about a ‘Semblance’? Maybe I could still use the Champion powers in another way? But how? Ah, I got it! Hopefully this will work._

_Hey Revs!_

Silence. The bird noticed Link idly stood and swooped down near the ground for an attack. The bird opened its beak and snatched Link. Link’s leg was in its beak; the bird snapped its beak shut, causing Link to let out a hoarse scream of pain. The bird took off.

 _Revali! Revali!_ He screamed in his head. For a second, he thought he heard the familiar sound of Revali’s snarky laughter in his head. Link opened his Scroll and snapped a picture of the bird and struggled to place it back on his hip. Taking the bow from his back, he nocked a bomb arrow. This would be Link’s dumbest plan, as both Link and this bird will be caught in the blast, nevertheless, Link shot his arrow. The bird shook its head violently and let go of Link, since Link was also injured and burning due to the bomb arrow, he was unable to open his paraglider. On the bright side, the bird looked slightly stunned. 

He was falling.

Fast.

 _Revali, please help me!_

A muffled voice rang through his head, even though he couldn’t hear what was being said, he recognized the voice. He tried again.

_Revs, I swear to Hylia if you can’t hear me! Answer me! You know what?! You can’t aim! You’re not a good archer! Okay, those two were lies, but still! Help!_

Finally, a clear but snarky voice rang in his head.

 _‘What was that? My aiming is horrible?’_ Link sighed in relief.

_Revali, it’s great that you’ve finally graced me with your presence, but look at what I’m dealing with right now! I’ll fall to my death!_

_‘Can’t you use Mipha’s Grace to revive yourself if you happen to die?’_

Link wanted to scream, the ground was getting closer. _No! No, I can’t! I need you!_ Revali hummed in response, prompting Link to continue, _You’re a ghost, right? Possess me!_ Revali hesitated before asking, _‘Are you sure you want to do that?’_

Unlike Revali, Link had no hesitation. _Yes._ Chills began washing over his body like a tidal wave, in the corner of his eye he noticed his dirty blonde hair was changing into a dark blue with white streaks in his bangs. Somehow, the back of his hair was now in a braided ponytail. His eyes stung. Link’s blue eyes were fading into a bright emerald. He felt as if his face was being painted on. Bright red markings had appeared around his eyes, the top was outlined with white. He felt more chills surround his upper back. He noticed that translucent green wings were on his back. As Revali completely took over his body, Link was now a disembodied voice in his head.

_Okay! Revs, just fly me, or us straight to ‘Biggie Bird’ and shoot!_

_“Biggie Bird? Really, Link?”_ Revali’s smooth voice was thick with disbelief.

_No questions, just action!_

With an exaggerated sigh, Revali grabbed Link’s bow from his host’s back, he also quickly nocked a bomb arrow. Revali carefully flew around the large bird and begun to rapidly shoot bomb arrows. The bird looked surprisingly unhurt. _“What now?”_ Revali asked with a hint of exasperation.

 _Shoot its wing with an ice or shock arrow?_ Nodding, Revali replaced the bomb arrows with ice arrows and begun shooting them. Several ice arrows hit the bird’s left wing, causing the wing to slowly turn into ice. Once the bird’s left wing was encased in ice, it struggled to stay in the air. Revali flew right above the huge bird and flapped his wings to keep himself steady. _Revali, let me borrow my body for a few seconds?_ With those words, Link’s hair, eyes, and face went back to normal. He no longer felt chills. As he was falling, he drawn his bow, causing time to slow. Link switched his ice arrows to bomb arrows and aimed at the bird’s neck. He shot a few and heard a pained screech as each arrow hit. Running out of stamina, he fell on the bird’s back. Reaching out of his bag he ate some food to replenish his health and stamina. He grabbed onto one of the bird’s feathers with his left hand, and grabbed his sword with his right. He slashed at the bird’s back, sadly, it didn’t do much. Link noticed his sword was nearly broken, the metal was cracked and heavily scratched up. The ice on the bird’s wing melted. The bird realized Link was on top of it and attempted to ram itself and its back into a cliff. 

The cliff was closing in. 

_Revali, come back!_ Link ordered.

Once again, Link felt chills, signaling that Revali was taking control of his body. Revali flew up, effectively avoiding the cliff. The bird noticed a little too late that nothing was on its back and crashed into the cliff. Despite ramming into a cliff, the bird seemed alright, it’s mask was not. The bird began to fly ten feet away, and Revali quickly flew after it, he then flew a few inches above it. 

_Revali, release!_ Link was back in his body for a second time. He had another idea. He grabbed his Sheikah Slate and tapped Stasis+, Link aimed his tablet towards the bird and activated Stasis+. The bird was stopped for a split second. _Great, Stasis+ is kinda useless._ Angered, the bird flapped its wings violently, suddenly, it began throwing fifty black feathers that acted like arrows, right at Link. Opening his paraglider, he attempted to avoid them. He did not. He was pierced in the chest by four feathers, two in both of his legs, and three in his stomach, he was bleeding profusely. Link coughed up blood. Link could no longer hold on to his paraglider, and began to fall. As he was falling, he was pelted by more feathers. The bird practically zoomed towards Link and caught him in its beak. The bird continued to fly until it made its way back to the temple, it then flicked its head and released Link; sending him flying into a pillar. Blood splattered onto the pillar as he slid down. His body hit the ground hard. Black spots were obscuring his vision. His body was growing numb. He heard a distant pitiful chirp.

Then nothing.

_He found himself submerged in an endless ocean. He struggled to swim up, to breathe. Water was settling in his lungs. The ocean was consuming him, he was drowning, the boy could no longer care. To give in, was much easier, giving into the cold ocean would be better than struggling to live on land. The boy was ready to succumb to death until he heard a gentle, but muffled voice. Mipha. The ocean was illuminated with a light green hue. Desperate, the boy swam. Not to live. Not to breathe. But to see a person he lost. The boy reached the surface, gasping. His wet hair clung to his skin._

_He saw her, Mipha standing with her arms down and her hands were clasped together. She was a short red-skinned Zora with amber eyes; a humanoid fish, she had fins that hung under her wrist and webbed feet. She also had what seemed to be a shark-like tail protruding on the back of her head; it was hanging down, and a fin on each side of the front of her head She had a silver headpiece with light blue jewels attached to the sides, and several pieces of the same jewelry on her shoulders, neck and hips. She wore a light blue scarf over one shoulder and wrapped around her waist; a symbol of the role she held: a Champion. She was standing near a sandy platform with pebbles placed in a circle._

_Mipha smiled softly at him, her voice was soft and calm, “Link? May I ask why are you here?” The boy gasped; his eyes were wide._

_With a slight frown, Mipha spoke up again, “Forgive me, but you must return.” Her voice was filled with sorrow, it seemed she didn’t want Link to go._

_‘Mipha, Mipha please let me stay here with you.’ Link signed desperately. Mipha sighed and shook her head._

_“I can’t. I can’t, Link! Seeing you here, knowing that you’ve perished, it pains me! I understand that continuing to live would mean having to count the days, months and the years since you lost me, having your fears and agony swarm your heart, but please, continue to stand strong and explore this world.” Her soft, but pained voice felt like a roar of desperation in Link’s ears. He couldn’t argue with her. He wouldn’t. He didn’t want to cause her more heartbreak._

_With a wry grin and tears in his eyes, he nodded. Mipha beckoned him over, and he quickly swam to her. He got out of the water, his feet touched the sand. Mipha hugged him tightly, the boy has never recalled the Zora initiating contact, it was always the other way around. She was sobbing. He hugged her back. He leaned his head against the crook of her neck._

_‘I’m sorry.’ he signed against her skin._

_“I do not blame you, Link. Please don’t hold yourself accountable for my death.”_

_‘How can I not be? I failed! I failed to-’ Mipha gently cut him off._

_“Repeat after me, please. ‘It’s not my fault.’”_

_Link struggled to sign, his hands were shaking, even so he slowly began to sign, ‘It’s not my fault.’_

_“‘It’s not my fault.’”_

_‘It’s not my fault.’_

_“‘And it never will be.’”_

_‘And it never will be.’_

_“I know you might not believe so, but perhaps making a mantra out of that phrase would ease your guilt?” Link smiled lightly, he appreciated Mipha’s help._

_‘Thank you, Mipha. It’s still hard to thank you, but I’m so greatful to have met you. I need to say something, please?’_

_“You are welcome, Link. What is it?”_

_‘I think you deserve the truth, Mipha. You deserved these words a century ago,’ he inhaled and removed his head from Mipha’s neck; staring right into her curious amber eyes, ‘I love you. I love you. I love you and miss you, so much that it hurts.’_

_Mipha smiled shyly, despite the tears flowing down from her eyes._

_“I love you with all my heart, Link. However, I am afraid that you must go, please live, for me.” He nodded, and just as he was fading away, he gave her a tearful kiss goodbye._

Link felt chills all over his body, the numb feeling in his body was vanishing as the chills took over. His eyes were amber; nearly golden. His hair was dark red and in a high ponytail. Mipha was in control, and instantly, a light green glow covered his body, all of the wounds that his body had were gone; somehow the feathers that were embedded into his body were gone as well.

_“It is my pleasure, Link.”_

_Thank you, so much. Release!_

Link regained control of his body and stood up. He felt weaker. _Revali!_ He gave up control, once again. Revali burst into the sky and grabbed Link’s bow from his back. He zoomed in the sky to once again face off against the huge Grimm. Revali placed an ice arrow onto to the bow and released it, he zigzagged around the bird as he continued to shoot ice arrows at the bird’s wing. Both its wings were frozen solid; it was falling. Revali flew above the bird. He laughed at his success and taunted the bird. _Release. Urbosa, come on!_

Link, while falling, felt a burst of chills surrounding his arms, it felt like electricity was flowing in his veins; he knew Urbosa was here. His hair turned a bright red, his eyes became a dark forest green, his skin was turning brown. He had blue lipstick on. 

_“Hello, voe, I am glad to see you have not forgotten me.”_ She laughed. 

_I, for one, can’t say I could forget you._

She barked out a laugh, _“You already have, Link.”_

_Anyway! Lightning, please!_ He sounded embarrassed. 

With a playful smirk on her lips, Urbosa snapped her fingers, the palm of her right hand had a spark of electricity and her eyes glowed a light green. She unleashed her powerful lightning as she fell onto the bird. The creature was stunned. _Release!_

_‘So soon? I guess you don’t miss me at all.’_ She teased, before giving back control to Link. Link unsheathed his sword and threw it at the bird’s head. The weapon shattered as it struck the Grimm. Since the bird was still stunned by Urbosa’s lightning, Link climbed over to the bird’s right wing. Link grabbed another weapon, a Savage Lynel Crusher, a two handed mace-like weapon wielded by fearsome and powerful white-maned and silver Lynels. He heaved the large weapon and smashed it into the bird’s wing; the bird screeched in agony. Link, then climbed to the left wing and swung the weapon hard into the wing. Another screech. The bird was falling, fast. Link placed the weapon on his back. _Daruk!_ Link’s hair turned white, his skin was now tan and his eyes were a dark blue; almost an inky black. He was shirtless. Dark brown pebbles formed around his knuckles, elbows and back. A thick black metal bracelet appeared on his right wrist. _Daruk, don’t pull your punches._

_“Are ya sure, little man?”_ Daruk sounded unsure, he did not want to injure Link, Daruk was quite strong, after all. 

_Yeah. Punch it out of the sky._

Daruk began to climb towards the bird’s neck. He stood up. He scratched his head before pulling back his hand and curling it into a fist. A orange glow was forming around his hand. Daruk slammed his fist harshly into the bird’s neck, the force of the blow snapped the bird’s neck. Link’s hand hurt; pretty badly. As its body was falling from the sky, it evaporated into black smoke. Use Daruk’s Protection. Since the Grimm perished, he began to fall. An orange dome appeared around Daruk. Soon enough, Daruk plummeted to the ground, unharmed. The dome shattered as soon as he hit the ground. _Release._ Link decided to take a breather, so he sat on the ground. He sighed before lightly reaching for his bird in his bag. Once Button was out of his bag, the little bird chirped in triumph. Link stared at Button, and Button stared back with his head slightly tilted. Link gasped in sudden realization. _Revali!_ Once Revali took over Link’s body, Button chirped curiously. 

_‘What is it, Link?’_

_So, Revs._

__

_‘Yes?’_

_I’ve got a favor to ask of you. Since Button is a bird, you can talk and understand him, right?_

_‘Link. I am not a fool. I am a Rito. Also, why did you name the fledgling, Button of all things?’_

_That’s still a bird in my opinion! Please Revali! Plus, Button is a cute name for a cute bird!_

Revali sighed. _“Fine.”_ He sounded annoyed. Rolling his eyes, he began to chirp, Button chirped in confusion. 

_What’s he saying? What’s he saying, Revali?!_

_‘I said hello, and your bird just asked where’s Mama.’_

_Mama?_ He gasped. _Am I his Mama?!_

__

_‘Why are you so happy about being this bird’s surrogate mother?’_

__

Link sighed. _I found the poor thing alone. His mother-_

__

_‘Is gone. Yes, I understand, now.’_ Revali chirped once more to Button. The two seemed to have started a conversation. At one point, Revali began to blush heavily. 

_What’s up, now?_

__

_‘I told him about me.’_

_You always talk about yourself, Revs. What’s the difference?_

_‘I do not! Don’t ruffle my feathers, Link. Don’t you dare think of mocking me.’_

_Impressive, I know. Impressive, I know. Impressive, I know! You’re so flattering, Revs._ Link teased Revali. 

Revali groaned in embarrassment. _‘I spoke about my true self, not the egomaniac I show to others.’_ He said softly. 

_What did Button say about you?_

_‘Well, I am now his surrogate father. I am now Papa Revali.’_ He said with a small but crooked smile. 

Link laughed hard, his voice was shaking. _S-So, the amazing Revali has yet another talent on h-his belt! P-Papa! Oh, Hylia, save me!_

_‘Stop!’ _Revali began to ignore Link, in favor of talking to his son. Button chirped and rubbed his head against Revali’s hand. Button quickly fell asleep. Revali let out a huff of laughter and tapped the bird’s head softly. He let out an irritated squawk as his eyes blearily opened. Revali placed the bird on his head, and Button quickly hid in his hair and dozed off. _Revs, let’s go!_ __

____

Nodding, Revali burst into the air and flew. He wished he could do a few loop-de loops, but he did not want to disturb the bird on his head, that and he didn’t want Button to fall. He had no clue if the fledgling could fly. _Okay, Revali. Let’s go to the cliff!_

____

_‘What cliff?’_

____

_Uh. Go straight?_

____

_‘You have no clue how to get back, do you?’_

____

_I have you!_

____

Revali ignored Link again and flew straight. It took quite a bit of time, but they finally found the cliff Link vaguely spoke about. There, was Ozpin, another woman, Ruby and her team, and four other children. Revali flew right above the group. 

____

_‘Goodbye, Link.’_

____

______ _ _

____

_What? Rev-_

____

______ _ _

____

Revali left Link’s body, and Link fell on his butt, onto the ground. 

____

______ _ _

____

_Gee, thanks. Petty Revs._

____

______ _ _

____

As soon as Link got up, he felt drained. His body ached, his heart was beating slowly and his head was spinning. His eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground, once again. He heard several gasps and a concerned chirp before collapsing. 

____

______ _ _

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Button is the greatest part of this chapter.
> 
> Again, sorry for any errors!


	6. A Change In Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY and JNPR react to Link's adventure in Emerald Forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I hope I got the two teams correct!

Team RWBY, and another team were currently suffering in Professor Port’s class. The man was in early old age, he had gray hair and a large gray moustache, he was rather overweight. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. The pants he wore was tucked into olive boots, similar in appearance and construction to cavalry boots. The man’s eyes were closed. The teacher was excitedly boasting about his adventures. Whether it was the atmosphere or the teacher himself, one thing was clear: everyone in his class were on the verge of sleeping. Ruby groaned, Yang did not seem to care about the lesson, Blake attempted to write notes, but was taking a sneak peak of one of her favorite books and Weiss, although very studious and serious about her note taking, was about to succumb to the world of sleep. Ruby groaned softly before speaking, “Guys, I want something interesting to happen. Something happen already!”

Blake was the first to respond, her seemingly unemotional voice lightly chided Ruby for her childishness, “Ruby, we just have to tough it out,” her amber eyes flicked to the black clock on the wall, “we have about twenty minutes left.”

Yang rolled her neck and looked at Blake with a smile on her face, “Blake, you’re reading a book, I’ve caught you multiple times. By the way, the only one ‘toughing it out’ would be Weiss.”

Blake’s eyes widened in surprise, she shoved her book back into her bag. Ruby laughed softly. Weiss overheard this exchange and shook her head with a slight smile gracing her face. 

Everyone was snapped out of their bored stupor when the intercom sounded.

“Would teams RWBY and JNPR please report to Beacon Cliff? Again, would teams RWBY and JNPR report to Beacon Cliff?” A woman’s sharp voice was heard through the intercom. The four girls looked at each other with curiosity, and stared owlishly at team JNPR. 

Ruby shouted in happiness. Professor Port rose his eyebrow before excusing the group of kids.

One of the members of JNPR spoke up, a tall young man with dark blue eyes and messy short blonde hair that was layered on his head, with the right side of his hair nearing his right eye and the left swept back. He wore a white diamond-shaped chestplate cut off above his lower abdomen and white spaulders with rerebraces set under them. Underneath the armor, he wore a black short sleeved hoodie with detached reddish orange sleeves and a dark brown image of a bunny rabbit trimmed in white with black round eyes hidden under his chestplate. He also wore blue pants with a white patch on the left knee, as well as black sneakers. As he walked, the soles were written on, “left” and “right” were on the respective sole. He had two criss crossed belts around his waist, both were different shades of brown. It had a pair of small pouches on them, he wore a brown pair of wrist-length fingerless gloves with small metal plates on the back. A sword was strapped to his left hip in a sheath that was also a collapsible shield. 

“So, uh, why are we going to Beacon Cliff? Again?” He awkwardly asked.

Yang quickly responded with a laugh, “I don’t know, Vomit Boy. Let’s play a guessing game in the meantime.”

The other blonde retorted, clearly embarrassed, “That was one time, alright!”

Both Ruby and Yang spoke up, “We know, Jaune!” The boy, groaned in dismay. He hung his head as team RWBY and the three other members laughed.

The last member of JNPR calmly inquired, “Perhaps we will observe a new student?” The other boy in the team had long black hair tied into a ponytail that ended midway down his back. He had a magenta streak on the left side of his hair. His narrow eyes were also magenta. He wore a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that was red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming went down the right side of his torso and formed a black collar. 

The second member was bouncing around in excitement, the young girl suddenly stopped and glanced at each person, she held out her arms and gasped loudly, “Maybe we’re gonna watch someone smash some things apart?! Right, Renny?” She had short orange hair and turquoise eyes. She wore a collared black vest that ended at her waist. Her pink emblem, a hammer with a lightning bolt was on the back. Under the vest were two layers of clothing, colored red and light-blue. She also wore a white sleeveless top that formed a tiny heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone, with a white detached sleeve on each arm. She wore pink fingerless gloves and a pink skirt that started at her waist and ended at her mid-thigh, it had a pink bow on the back. Her shoes were a mix of pink and white, with white laces, they had her emblem on the soles.

 _Renny_ , the boy with the pink streak sighed before responding, “Yes, Nora.” The girl laughed and poked the boy’s nose. His lips quirked into a slight smile.

“Get booped, Ren!” She giggled as Ren nodded in acknowledgement. 

The third member, spoke up. Her voice sounded polite and rather formal. “I’m not quite sure, but I agree with Ren. I’m sorry, Nora.” The girl was fairly tall. She had her red hair tied into a waist-length ponytail that was slightly curled into a loose ringlet. She also wore light green eye shadow. She wore a brown overbust corset with a vertical strip of lighter brown in the center. She also wore an elastic, black, A line mini skirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She wore a red, ankle-length sash wrapped around her skirt. There was a small circular bronze plate on her right hip opposite two pouches with both connected to a belt. The plate had her shield and spear emblem. Underneath her hair, she wore a brown circlet with a pair of small green teardrop-shaped emeralds on thin chains. She also wore a large bronze gorget around her neck and a bronze bracelet on the upper half of her left arm. She had elaborate bronze greaves that started below her mid-thigh before continuing downwards into her boots, as well as a pair of cuisses that began mid-thigh and ended slightly above her knees. She was also equipped with a bronze bracer capable of connecting with her shield, Akoúo̱ atop the sleeve on her left arm. Her high-heeled boots were brown with bronze trim, matching her skirt and sleeves and reaching up to mid-calf. 

Nora laughed loudly, “No problem, Pyrrha! Ren’s probably right, anyway,” Nora then turned to RWBY, ”Now! You guys gotta make some theories!”

Ruby spoke up first, “I think we will watch Jaune number 2.” Yang’s eyes flashed red for a brief moment.

Jaune looked confused, “‘Jaune number 2’?”

“Yeah! I ran into a boy who looks _just_ like you. He’s probably taking the test, now.” Jaune looked surprised. 

Surprisingly, it was Blake, the usually quiet member of RWBY, who spoke, “Why would the boy take this test? Wouldn’t he be killed?”

Yang scoffed, “Well, Blakey, it serves him right. Either way, I doubt he’d even last an hour.” Blake glared at her.

“Yang, stop being childish. It would certainly not be acceptable to have a young man die to Grimm during a test, and Blake, if he is taking this test, he would not be ill-equipped.” Weiss snapped.

The atmosphere between RWBY was tense, and the other team noticed.

Trying to steer clear from an heated argument, Pyrrha spoke up, “Yes, I believe Weiss would be correct, when we traveled through Emerald Forest, we had our weapons, so surely, this boy will be fine.” 

Nora chipped in saying, “We have to find out when we get there! Will mystery boy, AKA Jaune number 2, survive or will he fail the test?! Who knows? We sure don’t! Whatcha think, guys? Vote!”

Rolling her eyes, Weiss spoke up, “I’ll humor you and say he will pass. However, I do not know how skilled he is.” 

“You’re right, Weiss! I think he’ll pass, too.” Ruby agreed. It seemed like she either ignored Weiss’ last statement or thought nothing of it.

“I’m not too sure.” Ren supplied. 

“Aw, c’mon Ren!” Nora dragged out his name.

“I’ve never seen or heard of this person, Nora.” Nora pouted.

“Perhaps he would pass, it depends on his abilities.” Pyrrha said, her expression, thoughtful.

Ruby cheered, “Yeah! Three members for Team PASS! We just need one more person.” The seven other students laughed.

Yang laughed, “Sis, I believe you now have some opposition! From me! He’ll totally fail, he couldn’t beat me.” 

“That’s because he chose not to, Yang.” Blake deadpanned.

“And how would you know _that,_ Blake?” Blake shrugged in response. 

Blake spoke up again, “Pass.”

Ruby cheered again. Jaune cleared his throat before speaking, “I have no idea, but he’s probably better than me.” He looked slightly dejected. 

“Jaune, please don’t say that, you can always better yourself and comparing your skill to someone you don’t know; or in general won’t help you improve,” Pyrrha sharply countered and once she realized that everyone, including Jaune was staring at her in shock or awe, she stopped walking and quietly continued, “I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t need to apologize, Pyrrha, you’re right, anyway.” Jaune said softly. Pyrrha sighed in relief and smiled. 

Nora loudly spoke up, “Alright! Has everyone voted,” she looked at everyone’s faces as if she was doing a headcount, the seven students nodded and Nora continued,”So, two members for the ‘IDK’ team,” she gave Ren a dirty look, “four members for team ‘PASS’ and _one_ member for team ‘FAIL’!”

As if realizing something, Yang spoke up, “Nora, you forgot to vote.”

“Oops. Okay, he would _totally_ fail at one point. So yay, you and I are a dastardly duo! Hammer-fist, yeah!” Yang and Nora high fived each other.

The two teams continued walking through the school until they were greeted by the large door. Ruby walked in front of the other students and opened the door. Ruby began sprinting, and with a burst, she left red petals in her wake. A couple of petals landed on the students’ clothes and hair and they promptly brushed them off. The group quickly followed after her. Team RWBY and JNPR finally reached Beacon Cliff, and were met with two adults. Professor Ozpin with his mug in his hand and a female staff member. 

The woman closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, she opened her eyes and sharply spoke up, “You eight are five minutes late.” The woman appeared to be middle-aged, who had very light blonde hair tied back into a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were bright green and wore thin oval-shaped glasses. She had dangling teal earrings that matched the hanging pendant on her collar. She wore a white long-sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body was covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black-brown stockings. She also wore black boots with bronze heels, and a cape that was purple on the inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape was stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads was an emblem of a tiara, which was her symbol. Her weapon, a riding crop was collapsed and attached to her right boot.

“We’re sorry, Ms. Goodwitch.” The eight students droned. 

Ozpin chuckled and drank from his mug before chiding the woman, “Glynda, it is quite fine,” he turned his attention to the eight students, “We have brought you all here, again, to observe a possible future student’s skill. Once the young man, Link Dorephan, officially starts, you may open your Scrolls. Any questions?”

Jaune slowly raised his hand, “So, uh, _why_ are we going to watch this guy?” Ozpin sipped from his mug again, and responded with a smile, “I believe you will find out for yourself, Mr. Arc.” 

Jaune put his hand down with a frown as Ozpin faced the cliff side, “It seems Mr. Dorephan has begun his test.” 

The two groups took out their white Scrolls and upon opening their tablets, a live recording began. In the video, there was a boy with an odd mix of clothes and armor, the kid was walking aimlessly. Weiss was the first to respond, “Isn’t he going in the wrong direction? If he’s taking the same test we did, he shouldn’t be going this way.” 

Ruby countered, “Maybe Link is scoping out the forest!”

“I suppose so, Ruby.” Weiss replied. 

Link kept walking around until he spotted some Boarbatusks.

Pyrrha gasped in surprise, “He’s approaching them unarmed? What is he thinking?”

“The guy has a death wish!” Yang hollered. 

Blake looked at her Scroll in disbelief as Link took a picture of the Grimm, in fact, most of the students were confused. Then, he whistled at them.

Everyone but Ozpin and Goodwitch paled as one of the Grimm charged at Link; successfully knocking him down. 

“That was rather idiotic of him.” Weiss criticized the young boy. 

“I agree, but he might be gathering information.” Ren noted.

Ruby looked confused, “But why? Wouldn’t he know ab- Oh.”

“‘Oh’?” The students echoed. 

“He might not know anything about Grimm, that’s all.” Ruby quickly stated. Yang looked at her half-sister with suspicion. 

The two groups continued to watch. Link eventually got up and took out a bow from his bag. Everyone looked intrigued.

“No guns?” Ruby whined. Link, then nocked an ice arrow and shot one of the Boarbatusks, it was frozen. 

“His weapon doesn’t use Dust? How on Remnant did he get a _‘magical’_ arrow like that?” Weiss questioned.

“Better question! How would I get one? That arrow is _neat!_ ” Nora announced. 

“But Nora, you have a hammer?” Jaune questioned. 

“My hammer bashes things, not freezes things!” Nora countered. 

“Guys, guys, you aren’t paying attention! He _chilled_ this Boarbatusk to the bone.” Everyone groaned in response to Yang’s joke. 

“Yang’s pun aside, I’d like to see what else Link can do.” Blake responded. She got her wish as Link dodged an attack and grabbed a sword from his bag; attacking a Boarbatusk. The video seemed to be slowing down. 

“Link can manipulate time? Is that his semblance?” Pyrrha asked.

“Perhaps, perhaps not.” Ozpin suddenly spoke.

The boy backflipped and changed his arrows. The arrow had a red circular cloth that replaced the arrowhead. It was sizzling. Link let the arrow fly and suddenly all the Boarbatusks died.

“Explosives!” Nora shouted and jumped in place.

“That’s very destructive. I _love_ destructive.” Yang said.

“Of course, you two favor pure destruction and brute force over graceful fighting.” Weiss said. 

“He killed them that easily?” Jaune asked in shock. 

“Yup.” Ruby replied.

The boy took out his Scroll and after a few moments he placed it back on hip. He continued walking. After a while, he stopped and found some mushrooms.

“Don’t tell me he is going to eat that,” Weiss looked on in disbelief as Link ate one of the mushrooms and spat it out, “ _Dolt._ ” Everyone laughed.

“Aw, he didn’t grow taller.” Yang lamented. Blake, Weiss and team JNPR looked mildly confused.

“Guys, you _don’t_ know what a 2Up is? A part of a very well known game? Basically, in Fantastic Nario Sisters, if you get a 2Up mushroom, your character gets taller.”

“That’s an odd mechanic for a video game.” Weiss noted. A few people seemed to agree.

One mushroom later, Link strolled through the forest until he saw a tree. Chirping was heard. He whistled. The chirping stopped instantly. The boy looked down, and the two teams couldn’t exactly see what he was looking at. The boy took out some things from his bag and made something.

The two groups of children seemed to understand what he was doing and why. They didn’t respond to a single thing as Link placed his crafts into the ground. The boy suddenly climbed the tree and the bird walked into his hair, he then climbed back down.

“That bird is so cute!” Ruby said, curling her fingers, she placed her hands on her chin and slightly shook her head.

“A cute bird for a cute boy.” Yang said with a smirk on her face.

“Really, Yang?” Blake said, completely unimpressed with her blonde teammate.

“He _is_ cute, though. You can’t deny that. Plus, you were ogling him as soon as you saw him.”

“I was not, I was just wondering something.”

“You mean, wondering how you talk to him and fall in love?” Yang teased Blake. Ruby joined in, saying, “Blake, you like Link?”

“No.” Blake said flatly.

“Yang, _please._ ” Weiss glared at the blonde. Yang stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.

The boy and his new companion traveled onward until the duo noticed an Ursa Major.

“An Ursa Major? It’s not that common here.” Pyrrha noted in confusion.

“Would he actually win against an Ursa Major?” Ren questioned. 

“I’d say he would win. He’s already so better than me.” Jaune said with an awkward and self-deprecating smile.

Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. 

“Nope.” Ruby simply stated.

They watched as Link took another picture and a hit from the Ursa Major. The boy got up and made quick work of the Grimm.

“Hot _damn,_ Link is _blazing._ ” Yang said while raising her fist into the air.

“Yang!” the three members of RWBY groaned.

“Oops.” Yang smiled at them.

The boy walked again and stopped when he saw a couple of Beowolves. He took another photo and shot an ice arrow at each one and ran past them. Link finally reached his destination and picked up a chess piece. They heard a very loud screech and Blake flinched from the sound. 

A Nevermore.

“Why is the Nevermore back?” Ruby asked, her eyes were wide with surprise. 

“ _How,_ is the better question.” Weiss stated.

Nora laughed, “More like, why is Linky-boy just standing there?”

The Nevermore caught its prey and flew. Everyone gasped as Link screamed. He took a picture of the Grimm.

“Whoa, that’s-” Jaune started, but his sentence was finished by three people at once.

“Crazy!” Ruby said.

“Interesting.” Ren said with his left eyebrow raised.

“Idiotic.” Weiss said with her arms crossed.

“Yeah.” Jaune replied lamely.

The boy shot a bomb arrow at the Nevermore and he fell. Everyone was both curious and concerned for the boy. Link looked terrified. Suddenly, as he was falling, his appearance completely changed. He was _flying._

_“‘Biggie Bird’? Really, Link?”_ A smooth but annoyed voice rang out from the Scrolls.

“Is _that_ his Semblance? Does this kid have _two_ Semblances?!” Yang asked.

“Having two Semblances? That isn’t possible, though.” Ren calmly said.

“Wait, is he speaking to himself?” Blake asked with a empathetic look on her face.

“I don’t believe so. Perhaps that is another person altogether?” Pyrrha suggested.

“But he can’t speak.” Ruby added. There was a moment of silence.

The boy sighed and shot several bomb arrows, once Link noticed that the Nevermore was unharmed, he spoke up again.

_“What now?”_

Link began shooting ice arrows, and his appearance reverted back to normal. As he was falling, he shot several bomb arrows until he landed on the Nevermore. The Grimm began flying at full speed near a cliff, luckily Link changed his appearance again and flew out of the way. The Nevermore was fleeing and Link gave chase until he was right above the Grimm. Link grabbed his strange tablet and pointed it at the Nevermore. Suddenly the Grimm was stopped.

“Did he just suspend that Nevermore in midair?” Weiss asked in disbelief. Ruby nodded in awe.

“Oh my God, that weird tablet is awesome!” Nora exclaimed. 

The Nevermore was freed and it was angry. Its feathers were heading straight for Link. Several of them didn’t miss their target. 

The boy was falling.

The Nevermore caught him and threw him like a rag doll. 

He was on the ground, covered in blood.

He wasn’t moving.

“Is he-” Ruby looked terrified and nearly ready to cry, “Professor Ozpin, Ms. Goodwitch, please do something!” 

Ozpin didn’t respond, he looked contemplative. Glynda Goodwitch looked at Ozpin in concern.

Everyone seemed scared.

After a few minutes, they noticed Link’s hair and eyes changed color once again.

 _“It is my pleasure, Link.”_ A gentle sounding voice was heard. 

Everyone was in disbelief. 

Another palette swap occurred and Link was abruptly in the air. Link quickly found the Nevermore and shot several ice arrows. His appearance changed once more.

 _“Hello, voe, I am glad to see you haven’t forgotten me.”_

“‘Voe’?” Ruby asked, confused. Everyone shrugged. 

A moment passed before they heard laughter coming from Link, _“You already have, Link.”_

“He is talking to himself. Maybe that’s the price of his Semblance; insanity.” Blake mused, a frown was etched on her face.

“That is quite upsetting.” Weiss replied.

“What about his ‘Time Lord’ powers?” Yang asked.

Pyrrha laughed, “It seems to differ when he is on land and in midair, it’s an interesting Semblance.”

Jaune spoke up, “He’s so strong,” he sighed before mumbling, “unlike me.” No one but Blake caught it.

Both teams seemed to agree.

Link, with a snap of his fingers, produced lightning and paralyzed the Nevermore.

Ruby gasped, “So _that’s_ where the lightning came from!”

“Well, yes. It did emit from his hands and eyes, Ruby.” Weiss pointed out the obvious.

“Not that lightning! Strange green lightning showed up in Emerald Forest yesterday! I asked Link where it came from, but he didn’t answer. But I finally found my answer!”

Weiss nodded in understanding, “Link has quite the ensemble of abilities. Time manipulation, flight, lightning,” her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at her Scroll, “and the ability to revive. That should not be possible, at all.” 

“One thing’s for sure, he totally proved me both wrong and right at the same time,” Yang clapped, “he fought super well, but he technically died. Congrats, Link!”

Ren quietly added, “He most likely has another part of his Semblance.”

“Don’t you think four abilities, or two Semblances are a bit too much for Link to handle?” Blake asked. 

“He seems to be doing fine, Miss Belladonna.” Ozpin suddenly spoke up. 

The boy had landed on top of the bird once again and wielded a massive weapon. He crushed the bird’s wings. He changed his appearance and punched the Nevermore right out of the sky.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! That was _sick!_ ” Yang exclaimed.

“He is amazing.” Blake said. 

The two teams looked at their screens with awe.

The boy fell to the ground, a dome had formed around him, and quickly shattered after Link crashed into the ground. Once he landed, he transformed once again and took out the bird from his bag. A few minutes later, Link burst into the sky.

He was heading back. Soon enough, he appeared right in front of them. 

A few seconds later, he collapsed. 

Ruby stared at Ozpin, “Will Link be okay?” 

Ozpin glanced at Link, and picked him up; bridal style, he then turned to Ruby, “Yes, Mr. Dorephan will be alright. His Aura is quite low, however. I will say, he did excellent.”

Ruby sighed in relief. 

Ozpin spoke up again, “It seems that his Semblance is very taxing.”

“Don’t you mean Semblances?” Jaune asked.

Ozpin nodded with a smile.

“Hold up! Since he passed, he has to join a team, right?” Yang asked.

“Under special circumstances, he will not officially join a team. If Mr. Dorephan is willing to aid you in missions, then he will ‘join’ a team.”

“Why can’t he join a team?” Ren asked.

“It is not my story to tell, Mr. Ren.” 

“Since Link has finished the test, without too many problems, we shall return to Beacon.” Glynda announced. The two teams nodded, and started walking to the school. Once in Beacon, the teams disperse to their classes, leaving Ozpin and Glynda to walk alone.

Ozpin looked thoughtful, “Glynda, this young man is certainly skilled, perhaps Mr. Dorephan is from another place.”

“Another place?” Glynda repeated in slight confusion.

Ozpin smiled, “Yes.”

The two adults had reached Link’s dorm in several minutes. Glynda opened the door with her Scroll, and Ozpin stepped inside, he gently put Link on the bed and left the room. He locked the door as he stepped out and shared a look with Glynda.


	7. Gentle Melancholy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link's first memory of Mipha.

I heard that my father had went away for a long time. My mother had left, a few years ago, too. Father said she was sad. I had no idea what that meant. But, I’m sad, too. I’m alone, but that’s okay! I think. I couldn’t stay in my village, or continue training, that’s what my Captain said. I had to go to another place, somewhere up north. Zora’s Domain? I think that is the place my Captain told me about. I didn’t have anyone to say goodbye to, I didn’t have any ties or a lot of good memories with this village; so, I was ready to travel with someone, on horseback. The horse was a solid dark brown with a jet black mane and tail. He was a pretty horse. The smile I had on my face was wiped off when I noticed who was on the horse. Azo. The man had curly black hair with gray at the roots, he had slight black and gray stubble on his chin. He had narrow chocolate brown eyes, with a small mole below his left eye, he also had a small faded scar beneath his bottom lip. His lips were curled into a smirk. He had tan skin. He wore a simple long sleeved dark blue tunic, cream colored pants and black boots. 

“You took way too long, kid. What, were you saying goodbye to your friends? Oh, wait. You have nobody.” He drawled, the smirk on his face grew wider. 

With a sigh, I spoke up, “Sir, I beat you in a sparring match, two times. Don’t be so mad.”

“That isn’t relevant to our conversation, I said you were too slow.”

I looked confused. Relevant?

Azo laughed, “Stupid kid. Let’s go, already.” 

Azo didn’t help me up, so I had a hard time getting on the horse by myself. _Azo is so mean! I beat him two times and he’s so mad about it! Was it because there was people around? Or because I’m a kid? It’s not really fair._ The grumpy man pat the horse’s neck and the horse began to walk slowly.

“Where are we going, again?” I asked with curiosity. 

The man scoffed before replying, “Zora’s Domain.”

“What’s that? Does it have food?”

“A village, you idiot. The people that live there are very odd.” 

“What kind of people?” I asked with curiosity. 

Azo didn’t say anything else until we came across a wooden sign. 

“‘Beware of Bokoblins’,” he looked at me with a weird smile, “ _You_ should be careful, little boy.” 

“Whatcha mean by that, Azo?” 

He waved me off with a smile, “Nothing, nothing.” 

The horse continued its slow trot. The poor horse looked scared. Azo wasn’t looking out for any monsters, which was kinda scary. He just stared in front of him. I looked to my right, and I saw five red pig-like Bokoblins hidden in parts of a large forest. They all had long ears that were yellow on the inside, pink snouts, a small horn on its head, and bright blue eyes. They also had bandages around their arms and a small skull necklace. They stood up like Hylians. I tapped Azo, “Azo, be careful, okay?” 

He looked like I had bothered him, “I know how to fight, kid,” his lips curled into a smile and he laughed, “You think you can handle them?” 

“Maybe?” 

Azo laughed and ordered his horse to walk near the monsters. The horse whinnied, and the five monsters all stared at the horse. Azo pushed me off; I landed on my face. I heard a laugh and galloping. He was leaving me. By the time I stood up, Azo was already gone. _Jerk._ All five of the monsters ran towards me. I grabbed my wooden sword from my back. 

“Go away!” 

One of the Bokoblins had gotten closer and swiped at me. I fell. The one that hit me jumped and pointed at me, it was smiling at me. It pinned me down. I tried to slash at its nose with my sword, it worked as the monster jumped back. It looked mad. I got up and grabbed my wooden shield from my back, too. I slashed at its belly a few times until it had fallen on the ground. Its body turned black and went poof. The four Bokoblins looked at each other, and at me. Two of them got closer. One of them had a large wooden club in its hands. Clubby bashed my side, my sword was knocked out of my hand. The other Bokoblin caught my sword. They laughed at me. _Um, should I run? I can use my other sword, but I don’t want it to be taken away!_

“Give it back!” The monster holding my sword looked confused. I tried punching it as hard as I could, the monster stumbled back. I ran to it and kicked the monster’s leg, it screeched. I then snatched my sword back. I started to swipe my sword at the monster’s leg, causing it to fall. I quickly slashed at the monster’s head, and it went poof. The three Bokoblins looked really upset. 

“I’m sorry!” 

I ran as far as my tiny legs could take me. I heard snorting and footsteps. I ran faster, my legs were getting tired, I was gasping for air. I shook my head and kept running until I couldn’t hear anything. I stopped to catch my breath and started walking again. I’m lost, I don’t have a map. I saw an old tent up ahead in a patch of grass. I ran towards it and went inside. There was nothing inside. _I hope nobody lives here._ I laid on the floor of the tent and slowly closed my eyes. 

I woke up to being poked in the face. The woman that was poking me had light green hair that was tied into a messy bun, and kind gray eyes. She had golden earrings in her ears. She wore a light brown short sleeved tunic with small leather armor plates, black knee-length shorts and dark brown boots, she also had a belt with a tiny bag and a dagger hanging on the left side of the belt. There was a purple cloth wrapped around her right elbow. She had pale skin and pointy ears, and a small backpack. She stopped poking me. 

“Is this your tent? I’m sorry.” I said sleepily.

The lady spoke up, “No, it isn’t, but I was wondering why a kid is travelling all by themselves?”

“Uh, I was with someone. He kinda left me alone.” 

The lady looked mad for a second and mumbled something, shaking her head, she spoke up again, “Do you know where you’re going?”

“Zora’s Do- I dunno how to say that word,” I tried to say the second word, “Dowin? Domin? I dunno how to get there, either.” 

“Zora’s Domain? Don’t you worry about getting there, I can take you,” she smiled, “By the way, I’m Hima.”

I yawned, “Really? You can? Thank you, Hima! Oh, I’m Link. S’nice to meet you!” I smiled as Hima began to laugh softly. I stood up.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” I said with a smile. 

Hima walked out of the tent and I followed her. She took out a map from her backpack and pointed at a spot, “So we are right here,” I nodded as she trailed her finger upwards, “and Zora’s Domain is all the way up there, it’ll take us about three days to get there.” 

_Three days?_ “Okay,” I smiled, “that’s no biggie!” 

Hima rolled up her map and put it back in her backpack. She gave me a thumbs up and a smile. 

“When you get tired, let me know, alright?” 

“I will!”

We started to walk along a long path. 

After walking for a long time, we found a wooden sign. Hima stood in front of it and stared at it for a while, “We are getting close, well not too close! A town is up north, Kakariko Village, I believe. Although, I do remember a super secret path to Zora’s Domain.” 

“Super secret path?” I repeated. 

She giggled,“Yeah! Instead of walking through Kakariko Village, we can go right! If we do that, we will find a _lot_ of water and tiny pieces of land.” 

With that, we turned right and kept walking. The sky was dark, and I was getting tired again. I tugged on Hima’s shirt and she turned around. 

“You getting sleepy, buddy?”

I nodded. She crouched down and said, “Get on my back, I’ll carry you. You’re pretty tiny, anyway.” I got on her back and wrapped my arms around her neck. 

“I’m not tiny, you’re tiny.” I said quietly. 

I fell asleep to the sound of soft laughter. 

I woke up to Hima’s voice, “Wow, this kid was knocked out. Oh, you’re awake, good morning, Link!” 

“G’morning, Hima. Are we there yet?” 

“We are pretty close, now.”

I looked around. The world around me had mini islands and water everywhere. 

“Whoa.”

“Welcome to the super secret pathway, Link!” 

I smiled. 

My world was turning into a blur of blue, gray and red.

I was holding Hima’s soft hand.

“G’bye, Link.” she smiled at me and let go of my hand. Hima waved me off and walked away, leaving me alone in Zora’s Domain. It was like a water wonderland, the floor was silver and light blue, some of the blue pillars in the town were glowing, and there were waterfalls near the town, too. There was a large light blue and silver fish building, it was very pretty. Like the building, the people were fish-like. Everyone stared at me. It was scary. Everyone was as tall as a tower. Scary. I tried to not stare back as I walked towards one of the large curved staircases. Then, two people had walked out of the weird building. One of them looked like a stingray. The stingray had dark green scales that was very light green at the ends of his fins, and white skin. He had small light green dots for eyebrows and small green eyes. He had really fancy jewelry around his neck, chest and head-fins. He looked old, I think. He stared at me weirdly before speaking.

“ _This_ is the Hylian they sent us? Those damn Hylians must have no brains as they send a mere _child_ to us.” _He IS old! And mean, too._

The person next to him looked at him, then to me. She was so pretty. Her voice was so soft.

“I apologize on Muzu’s behalf,” she stared at _Mr. Meanie_ again, and looked back at me with a small smile, “he is just grumpy today. I, Mipha welcome you to my home, Zora’s Domain.” _I didn’t know what to say, really. Instead of saying thank you, I said something that I’ll never truly forget._

“Mipha, you’re pretty.” I said with a large smile on my face.

Mipha’s kind face changed. Her golden eyes widened and her cheeks were a light pink. She covered her mouth with her hand. 

“How _dare_ you improperly address Lady Mipha, you dis-” Mipha cut him off.

“Muzu, it is quite fine.” 

_She’s a princess? Oh no, I’m sorry!_

“I’m sorry, Lady Mipha!” She blushed harder and laughed softly.

“You don’t have to call me _Lady_ Mipha. Mipha is just fine,” she smiled at me again, “However, the only way I can accept your apology is if you tell me your name.”

 _That’s not how ‘I’m sorry’ works, Mipha!_

“My name is Link!” I said with a smile. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Link.”

Link’s eyes snapped open. He struggled to breathe, he grasped his tunic tightly. He frantically looked around the room he was in. He stared at his window and tried to calm himself down.


	8. Just the Same Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link's first day in Beacon Academy!
> 
> Trouble arises, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! 
> 
> This is the longest chapter as of now, which is sudden, but great!
> 
> There will be errors, grammar, and an inability to understand how certain weapons work, so I apologize!

Link was wide awake. He glanced at his window and deduced that it was now morning. He got up from his bed with a yawn. Link grabbed his Scroll and pulled the grips apart. He noticed new words were on the screen, sadly, he still couldn’t understand anything, so he put it back on his left hip. He walked over to his closet and opened it. He found a black suit, lined with gold, it also came with a dark blue vest, a white long sleeved shirt and a red tie. Link grabbed the set of clothes and placed them on his bed. He quickly took off his clothes and changed into his new uniform. He kept his amber earrings on. He smiled at himself. Link then reached into his bag and gently took out his bird companion. He cupped Button with his hand and his little bird happily chirped at him. Link pet Button’s head and laughed softly. He placed Button on his head, and the bird began giving ‘kisses’ to his hair and let out a cute chirp. He opened his door and walked out. He remembered that Ozpin mentioned a schedule, and Link realized that information would most likely be on his Scroll. He sighed. _I guess I have to look for my first class by myself._

Link strolled around the empty hallways. _Is it too early?_ He walked down the stairs and was overwhelmed by the amount of doors. He started to check every door on the floor, unfortunately most, if not all of the doors were locked. He went down to the first floor, and once again checked the doors. The first door he checked had a golden label, and he was relieved when the door opened. The room was rather large. It had cream colored walls and a light brown floor with a simple square pattern. In the front of the room was a black chalkboard and a semi-circle wooden desk, there were two wooden shelves with gold; filled with books against the wall. Above the chalkboard was an gray insignia, most likely the Academy’s symbol, and to the sides of the large symbol was a bronze panel with another interesting design. The room had two long dark blue banners with the school’s symbol; a wreath with two crisscrossing axes. In the back of the room were rows of connected curved wooden desk and small cream-colored and green stairs. He noticed that two students were already in the room; they glanced at him. Link sat at a desk, in front of them. One of them had neck length dark brown hair with a blonde streak on the left side, and dark brown eyes. He had a rather stocky build. The boy wore a simple pink tee-shirt. The boy also had orange tiger ears on his head. 

“Dude, _why_ are you here?” The boy’s voice sounded slightly rough and had a matter-of-fact tone to it.

The boy who sat next to him looked confused. The slightly taller boy had a mess of large curly brown hair and brown eyes. The boy had a small scar on his left eyebrow. He had a lanky build. The boy wore a sky blue shirt with a dark red five-sided star with a small white circle in the center. 

“I’m getting ready for class?” The boy had an airy and much lighter voice. 

“No, I mean, in this school.” 

“Oh,” the boy sighed, “I really wanted to sing, but I felt like I wouldn’t achieve that dream, so I went with my dad’s advice and enrolled here, even though I dislike fighting.” 

“That sucks, you should follow your dreams, dude!” 

The boy laughed, “I would if I could, man. What about you?” 

“Alright, so, I didn’t want to stick around and work at my parents’ ramen shop, okay? As much as I have a love and desire to eat anything, _especially_ ramen, I had a much larger love for fighting. When I was younger, I’d beat the _crap_ outta the kids that made fun of me,” the boy pointed to the ears on the top of his head, “and then I realized how awesome it was to punch people, or objects. When I heard about this school, I instantly enrolled.” 

“Wow, _that’s_ a story.” 

The boy snorted, “Well, uh, _yeah._ It’s clearly the best.” 

“Do you have any more great stories to tell?” 

“Yeah, dude! One time I ate Dust.” 

The boy sputtered in shock, “What? Why?” 

“I wanted to try it, alright?!” He sounded embarrassed. 

“Go on.” The other boy drawled. 

“So, I was home alone and my parents, for _some_ reason, left several Dust crystals laying around. Me being a five year old kid ate all of them, and let me tell you, most of them tasted horrible.” 

“Most?” The boy asked with an eyebrow raised. 

“The red one tasted super good, dude. Apparently eating a fire shaped Dust crystal gave me a Semblance.” 

“What?” The boy’s voice nearly cracked as he burst out laughing. His laughter was a mixture of gasps and hiccups. He looked at the other boy for a split second and laughed even harder. After a few seconds, he spoke up. 

“How does that even work?” 

“I don’t know, don’t ask me! All I know is that when I curse, fire comes outta my mouth, it’s super cool.” 

“Wow.” 

“What about you, do you have a Semblance?” 

“No, I don’t.” Link noticed that the boy responded a bit too quickly. 

“Quick question.” 

“Yeah, what’s up?” 

The boy’s tiger ears turned to the side and he looked rather uneasy, “You’re not going to judge me for being a faunus, right?” 

“Of course not, Big Cat.” The boy had a reassuring smile on his face and a calm tone of voice. 

“Big Cat?” 

“Yeah, Big Cat. I hope that nickname is alright with you. I don’t want to be offensive.” 

The boy chuckled softly and smiled, “It’s no big deal, dude. I like the nickname, anyway,” the boy looked like he had just remembered something, “Want to hear another story?” The other boy nodded. 

“There’s another reason why I’m in Beacon,” the boy looked at his desk and his tiger ears flattened, “I had a nasty fight with one of my best friends, in another school. I wasn’t the best student, either, so I had to transfer here, and my two other friends couldn’t go with me.” 

“If it makes you feel any better, I can be your friend, dude. We can play video games and braid each others hair.” The boy joked, with a grin. 

The other boy laughed loudly, “I’m up for gaming. I’m-” Whatever the boy was about to say was drowned out by students and a teacher suddenly pouring in the classroom. The students stared at him before sitting down. He noticed four familiar girls and the other team in the crowd of students. Ruby had sat right next to him. She smiled and waved at him. He nodded to her in acknowledgement. The teacher stood in front of the mass of students. 

“Good morning, my students. Before I proceed with today’s lesson, I’d like you all to meet a new student,” even though his eyes were closed, his head was faced directly towards Link, “Mr. Dorephan please stand in front of the class.” With a nod, Link stood up and walked in front of the class, he heard the students murmur as he passed by them. He faced the students and waved at them. Several students either waved back or said hello, one student in particular glared at him. Link looked at the teacher, which prompted him to speak. 

“Now, do any of you have questions for your new classmate?” Several people rose their hands. The teacher chose a person in green, the same person he saw at Beacon Cliff. 

“Link, is it true that you have two Semblances?” Everyone in the class began to whisper, shock was written on their faces. _I guess I can say yes? Then again, it seems like two Semblances are a pretty big deal._ Link shrugged. With that question answered, the teacher moved onto another student, a girl with short orange hair. 

“Why is your name so weird?” The girl asked loudly. Link rose an eyebrow as he shrugged once again. _Next question._ He looked over to the next person with slight confusion. The person almost looked like him. _So that must be the Jaune I was hearing about. Seems like he’s freaked out, too._

“You were so amazing. If it’s alright with you, can you train me of all people?” Jaune awkwardly asked. Link placed his fingers on his chin and closed his eyes. He quickly reopened them as he heard a very loud chirp. It seemed like Button was trying to get Link to say yes. With a soft laugh, he looked at Jaune and firmly nodded. Jaune smiled; joy and hope was written on his face. Link heard someone grumble about his bird companion, searching for the source of the sound, he noticed it was the same person who was glaring at him. Link watched as the teacher chose him to ask his question, the teacher seemed reluctant to pick him. In fact, most of the students looked uneasy. 

“Why is _another_ mutt in our school?” His voice was obnoxious, and Link only saw hate in the young man’s eyes. The young man had indigo eyes and burnt-orange hair that was combed backwards with a slight peak at the front, and like most of the students, he wore the same uniform. Link looked at the boy with tiger ears; it was clear that he was struggling to keep his rage under wraps. The boy breathed in harshly, and slowly calmed down due to his new friend comforting him. Looking at the boy besides him, Link noticed the boy appeared calm, but his eyes were filled with annoyance and mild agitation. Link glanced at Blake, and she was also fuming, it was subtle, however. The whole room was deathly quiet. 

_“Cardin Winchester,”_ the teacher opened his eyes and gave the boy a warning look, “that is an inappropriate question to ask. I implore you to think before you act.” 

The boy scoffed in response and haughtily replied, saying, “And by the way, _Jaunie,_ there is no way he’d train someone like _you._ I doubt that scrawny kid is even able to lift a weapon.” _You can make fun of me, that’s alright, you can insult my strength, now that’s less than alright, but if you insult another person for attempting to better themselves, we’ve got a problem, Mr. Idiot. Revali!_ Link once again felt chills on his body. 

Revali looked visibly unimpressed as he folded his arms, _“Must you be such a fool to insult someone’s pride? It is completely asinine to see a child speak this way. I’d say that Jaune would be an acceptable apprentice, compared to the likes of you. In fact, I believe one such person as great as me, can train Jaune without any issues.”_ Revali finished with a proud smirk on his face. He turned to Jaune once again and smiled; the boy seemed so happy. In contrast, Cardin did not, the tall young man looked offended. To add insult to injury, Revali laughed at the boy’s angry expression and Button chipped in by bobbing his head while letting out a chorus of chirps. 

Cardin growled at him, “When Lunch comes around, you _better_ be prepared.” _Revali, was that a threat?_

_‘You heard something? I only took notice of my wonderful speech.’_ Revali added. 

In response, Revali tilted his head in confusion and glanced at Jaune, _“Jaune, did you hear something?”_ The boy looked at him owlishly and laughed, soon enough the entire classroom was dying of laughter. Cardin was furious. _Mission accomplished, Revs! Release._ Link was back to normal. He gave the teacher an apologetic look, he did create an uproar, after all. The teacher simply smiled back. 

“Mr. Dorephan, would you please return to your seat?” Link nodded and went back to his seat, he noticed that most of the students looked at him with awe. Once he sat down, Ruby grinned at him and gave him a high five. 

The teacher spoke up again, “Now that introductions have concluded, we will begin today’s lesson.” Everyone in the class groaned. As the teacher began writing on the blackboard, Ruby whispered to him. 

“This is Professor Port, and his classes are really boring, so nobody does anything besides fall asleep.” Ruby’s notion seemed to be correct because as soon as the teacher, Professor Port, began speaking, half of the room seemed to have fallen asleep. Link attempted to fight off the sudden drowsiness. He decided that he would take some notes, so he took out a small leather notebook and began writing. Ruby glanced at his notebook in confusion and softly spoke to Weiss, and Weiss glanced at Link in response. Professor Port, at one point diverged from the lesson, opting to boast about himself and his own adventures. Link jot down what seemed important, and he, unlike most of his classmates enjoyed hearing about the teacher’s exploits. After a few moments, the teacher stopped speaking about himself and directed his attention to the class. 

“Would you all like to display your abilities to your new classmate?” Everyone was snapped out of their dazes with those words. There was a chorus of cheers. 

“However, Link will choose.” Professor Port quickly added. Link blinked in response as everyone began to stare at him. Link glanced at the teacher and nodded. He once again stood up; grabbing his bag, he made his way next to the teacher. He placed his bag near Professor Port’s desk. He pointed to Jaune, first. Link’s doppelganger looked surprised. Jaune got up from his seat and walked over to Link, he had an awkward smile on his face. The boy seemed like he was preparing for a loss. Link gave Jaune a thumbs up. _Urbosa!_ He felt chills and electricity run up and down his arms. Urbosa gave the boy a soft smile. 

_“Jaune, is it?”_

“Uh, yeah?” 

_“Are you unsure about who you are?”_ Urbosa asked with a teasing smile. 

Jaune was red in the face, he scratched the back of his head, “No, I know who I am, what about you?” 

Urbosa laughed, _“Vasaaq, I am Urbosa,”_ Jaune blinked in confusion and Urbosa continued, _“Vasaaq means hello in your language.”_

“Vasaaq.” The boy shyly replied. Urbosa grinned at his attempt. 

_“Now that introductions are out of the way, let us give a show to the audience,”_ Urbosa paused, her expression was serious, _“And if you want to be trained by Link, you must pass two tests. In order to pass the first test, you must either land a hit on me, or beat me in hand to hand combat. If you pass the first test, you’ll move onto the second test. Understood?”_

Jaune nodded. 

With a smirk on her lips, Urbosa spoke up, _“Good luck, voe.”_

Jaune went into a fighting stance, and Urbosa immediately found issues. _‘This boy has plenty to learn.’_ Jaune was preparing to deliver a punch to her stomach, but before it could connect, Urbosa quickly dodged. In return, Urbosa gracefully moved around Jaune and sent a quick jab at his right side. Curiously, Jaune didn’t seem to flinch. Jaune tightly grasped Urbosa’s wrist; preparing another hit, however Urbosa did a somersault, effectively kicking Jaune right in the chest and in the chin. Jaune stumbled back as Urbosa back-flipped away. Jaune recovered and charged at her, only for Urbosa to dodge once more. Urbosa twirled around Jaune and punched him in his lower back; sending him to the ground, she then sidestepped away. Jaune quickly stood up. 

_“Do not charge mindlessly in battle, nor should you take so long.”_ Urbosa chided. 

Urbosa walked up to Jaune and gave him a left hook, Jaune had blocked it. Jaune seemed to have another idea, judging by the thoughtful look on his face. He did a sharp forward sweep to Urbosa’s legs, however Urbosa jumped back before it could successfully connect. Urbosa dashed towards Jaune and front flipped right above him, as she front flipped, Urbosa managed to strike Jaune’s upper back, she then kicked his left leg as she landed on the ground. Jaune struggled to stand up. He distanced himself from her. Urbosa noticed Jaune was beginning to formulate a plan. Urbosa rose an eyebrow. Jaune nodded to himself, suddenly there was a shift in his expression and stance. Fierce and determined. Urbosa smiled at that. She nimbly zig zagged around the front of the classroom; the fluidity of her movements were akin to dancing. Once she got close enough to Jaune, she gave him an uppercut, Jaune seemed unfazed by it. He quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. Jaune punched her hard in the face and kicked her in the legs; causing Urbosa to stumble. Jaune let go of her hand and backed away. Jaune had won, much to Link’s delight and Urbosa’s slight chagrin. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to punch you that hard!” Jaune quickly apologized. 

_“Nonsense! I take no offense to your strength, however, losing does not sit too well with me. In other words, congratulations, voe, you have gained my respect and therefore, you are ready to be trained.”_ Urbosa said with a smile. His and Ruby’s team had cheered him on, the orange haired girl, Yang and Ruby were the loudest. Urbosa noticed a young Gerudo staring proudly at Jaune, the vai clapped softly. _Release!_ Link gave Jaune a pat on his shoulder. Professor Port began to speak. 

“Mr. Arc, I salute you for winning this fight. You may return to you seat,” Jaune smiled as he sat back down, “Mr. Dorephan, who else would you like to fight?” Link briefly glanced at Cardin, then to Ruby’s team and finally at the boy with the pink shirt. He looked at the boy with tiger ears, the boy had stared back, a lazy smile was on his lips. Link pointed to the boy. The boy looked at his friend, then to Link and pointed to himself; feigning shock. 

“You’re picking me?” He asked in an exaggerated manner. Link nodded. The boy stood up from his seat and jumped over his desk; he was careful enough to not kick a person in their head. He also picked up his bag, there was a strange cartoon character printed on the front, the character had long blonde twintails and blue eyes. The boy grinned as he looked at his friend’s disapproving face. 

“Dude, don’t try to make a super-cool entrance, you’re already in the room.” 

“Well, _I_ guess I can’t be epic, because _someone,_ not naming names, is trying to censor me.” 

“I’m not censoring you, I’m making sure you aren’t going to injure yourself.” 

The tiger boy chuffed in what seemed to be annoyance, even though he appeared to be offended by his friend, Link noticed that the boy was just pretending to make a big deal out of something small. Link whistled to get the boy’s attention, and his tiger ears swiveled to the sound. The boy slowly turned his head towards Link with a sigh, “Alright, _fine,_ I’ll just walk down the stairs instead.” He huffed. His friend laughed at him as the boy took his time wading through the students and walked down the stairs with a dejected frown on his face. The boy finally reached the front of the classroom and waved at Link. Link waved back. 

“We gonna use weapons?” He asked. Link nodded and smiled as the boy raised his arm; his hand was curled into a fist. 

“Yes!” He opened up his bag and took out two dark blue pistols, the handle of both guns were orange. He twirled one of them in his hands and stared at Link, his lazy grin returned, “Let’s go, dude!” With a nod, Link walked over to the teacher’s desk and placed Button on the semi-circle wooden desk. He fetched a random bow, shield and sword from his bag. Link gave the boy a smile as he placed a normal arrow onto his bow. The boy placed one of his guns on the desk; very far away from the curious Button, using his left hand, he dug into his pants pocket and retrieved several small pale yellow spheres. Link did a double take. _What?_ The boy pulled back the top of gun and popped the spheres into the gun. He released his hold on the gun and did the same to his other gun once he had it back in his left hand. Without warning, he raised one of his guns to Link’s face and pulled the trigger of the gun in his right hand, the small blast that erupted from the barrel was a light blue, the spheres had somehow turned into lasers. _You’ve gotta be kidding me!_ Link quickly dodged out of the way before it could do serious damage; the small and thin laser managed to graze Link’s cheek. Link hissed at the slight pain. _Ouch. Even tiny lasers still hurt._ Link shot an arrow, only for it to disintegrate from several laser blasts. The boy quickly ran towards Link and begun shooting both guns. Link sidestepped a couple of times to avoid being shot. 

“Stop dodging and let me shoot you!” He yelled at Link, his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes clearly conveyed his irritation. As the boy continued to shoot, Link quickly swapped his bow for his shield and parried the mini lasers. Time slowed down and Link drawn his bow and replaced his regular arrows with bomb arrows. He let one fly, one after another, until time flowed naturally. 

“Oh, come on! Fu- I mean, _frick_ you! First you frickin’ dodge and now you block? Not cool, dude!” It had seemed like his calm demeanor was fading away. Link heard his friend laugh. 

“Hey, dude.” The boy’s tiger ears followed the noise. 

“What is it?” 

His friend began laughing harder, “I guess you can say, ya fired and ya missed,” the boy turned his head towards his friend; a smile broke his angry expression, “I fired, and then I missed. I fired again, then I missed. I reloaded, I fi-” The two boys were destroyed by their own laughter. 

The boy in the pink shirt quickly added, with a deep voice, “I fired again, then I passed out on the snow,” the boy gasped for air as his friend slid down from his seat and hung his head; laughing and gasping, “Long story short, I missed.” His friend promptly exploded with laughter. Despite also finding this exchange very hilarious, Link used the distraction to his advantage. He shot several bomb arrows, the boy was quick enough to dodge and smart enough not to shoot. Once the blasts subsided, the boy reloaded his guns and front flipped right above Link. He then began his assault. He looked beyond pissed. His round pupils had morphed into thin slits, his teeth were bared in rage, and his tiger ears were pinned back. He looked feral. 

“Alright, you _stupid_ fucking prick! Shoot another fucking arrow, I dare you!” He snarled furiously, and true to his word, as he spoke, fire erupted from his mouth. The flames were dangerously close to Link’s face. Link quickly swapped his bow for his sword and slashed. The tip of the blade cut the boy’s upper lip; it had begun to bleed. The boy hissed in pain as he backed away from Link. 

“Goddamnit! Ugh!” Shaking his head and sighing loudly, he slammed the handles of both guns together, and it transformed around his right arm with glowing blue light. Flecks of orange light were slightly visible among the massive bright blue light. The light was fading, and the two guns had changed into something similar to Yang’s gauntlets or an arm cannon. The arm cannon was a dark blue with tiny orange dots scattered around the weapon, on the side was a small glowing green button. A small, but rather wide dagger with a thin pink line in the center protruded at the front of the arm cannon. His left hand shot up to his weapon, and he pulled back. Link heard a soft and computerized female voice from the arm cannon. Suddenly, a bright light was forming in the center of the arm cannon and a produced a massive laser beam. Although Link quickly blocked the attack with his shield, the blast destroyed half of his wooden shield. The shield shattered into light blue pieces. _There goes one shield._ The boy fired another laser beam as Link attempted to outrun it. Link vaulted over the professor’s desk and grabbed Button and his bag in the process. The small bird roughly pecked his hand, causing Link to let go. His little friend was chirping loudly at the boy with the pink shirt. The boy blinked in response. 

“What? I’m sorry, okay! I thought his shield would survive the blast!” Button squawked in response and flew towards the flustered boy. Link whistled to his bird and Button turned his tiny head to Link, only to quickly ignore him and peck at the boy’s tiger ears. 

“Hey, hey! Stop!” Link whistled again and Button returned to teacher’s desk with a happy chirp. Link smiled and placed his bow in his hands. He replaced his bomb arrows for ice arrows and shot a few at the boy; his legs were encased in ice, and the ice was already starting to form around his body. The boy rose an eyebrow. 

“Ice arrows, seriously?” The boy let out a soft curse and melted the ice. The boy continued to fire laser beams in quick succession; some hadn’t missed their mark. He glanced at his weapon and noticed the green light had dimmed. Huffing in annoyance, the boy rushed towards Link and quickly moved his right arm, the blade had cut Link’s cheek. Link replaced his bow with his sword and swung roughly. The boy blocked it with his arm cannon. Link had an excellent idea. He back-flipped to distance himself from the boy and rummaged his bag. He had taken out a Great Flameblade, a large two handed weapon, the blade had an orange glow and intricate design with pale orange lines. The hilt was a combination of red and brown, and at the very bottom of the hilt was a cut and polished ruby. 

“Awesome sword, dude!” The boy said before he opened a compartment from his arm cannon and grabbed more spheres from his pocket. Unlike the previous spheres he had, these were pale red. He popped the spheres into the arm cannon and pulled it back. He fired a red laser beam as Link heaved the large sword, causing several flame blasts to erupt from the sword. The orange glow was halved. As soon as the laser and the fire blasts came into contact, a small explosion occurred. Using the cloud of smoke from the explosion as cover, Link immediately swapped his Great Flameblade for his bow and replaced his ice arrows for shock arrows. He shot several of them. He smirked when he heard a shriek of pain and frustration. In retaliation, there were several beams of red light coming in his direction. A few of them hit and burned part of his clothes. Link crouched down and began to walk slowly and quietly as possible, after sneaking around for awhile, he saw the silhouette of the boy. The boy had noticed him and fired another red laser beam. Link avoided him, and swapped his bow for the Great Flameblade. He swung and watched as more flames appeared from the weapon. Both the flames and the sword had hit its target. The boy fell to the ground, and the smoke eventually cleared up. He was covered head to toe with ash. The boy smiled at him. 

“How’s it goin’, dude?” The boy asked in a monotone and slightly accented voice. Link tried to stifle his laughter as he helped the boy up. 

“That was dope, man!” Link didn’t quite understand what that word meant, but he assumed it was good, so he nodded. Both Link and the boy noticed the stares they were receiving. 

“Stop staring, it’s freaking me out.” The boy said. The class had looked away. Link glanced at the professor as he laughed. 

“My, my. Congratulations for winning, Mr. Dorephan,” the old man took out a pocket watch from his jacket pocket, “I apologize, students, it is almost time for your next class.” As soon as he said those words, the bell had rung and students began filing out. The tiger eared boy shared a glance with Link and waved goodbye as his friend approached him. As Link began to walk out, he was trailed by his new group of friends, including Button, who was flying towards his head. They were buzzing with excitement. 

“Link, that was amazing!” Ruby squealed. Link smiled softly at Ruby. 

“Okay, let’s have a rematch later.” Yang declared. Link nodded with a soft laugh. 

Jaune looked rather sheepish, but didn’t speak up. The orange haired girl spoke up instead. 

“Linky, you have to give me some ice arrows! Please?” Link shrugged. The girl wailed at his answer. 

The boy with a pink streak in his hair chided the girl, “Nora, I doubt you really need an arrow.” 

“But, Ren!” She dragged out the two words with a whine. The boy sighed softly. 

“No pancakes for a day.” 

“Ren, don’t do this to me! Only pancakes can sustain me!” She cried as her and Ruby’s team laughed at her. 

It was Blake who spoke up next, “Would you mind if we speak in private?” Link gave her a curious look before giving her a thumbs up. Her teammates; Yang and Ruby ooh’d at her. Weiss gave the two girls an annoyed glare. Link laughed at them. 

Another member of Jaune’s team; a redhead, spoke up, “May I ask where did you learn to fight like that, Link? I’m sorry if it’s a personal question.” Link thought for a bit before pointing to himself. _It’s not exactly a lie!_

Ruby spoke up again, “Can I check your Scroll,” Link grabbed his Scroll and handed it to Ruby, she opened the grips and opened something, “Whoa, we have the exact same schedule!” She gave the device back to him. 

Soon enough, half of team RWBY parted ways for their classes, and Jaune’s team had split up as well. Ruby, Blake, Jaune and Link headed for their next class. They walked up to another door that was also labeled in gold. Link opened the door to find a tall man zipping around the room with a thermos in his hand. The man had messy dark green hair and brown eyes. He wore a long white shirt that was partially tucked into his dark green pants, it's collar was raised, he also wore a yellow tie and mismatched brown and black shoes. His round glasses appeared to be opaque. A student, Cardin, had shoved Link out of his way and entered the room. The man simply shook his head. The four students had walked in. As soon as the group sat down, students began walking in. This time, it was Jaune who sat next to him, with an somewhat awkward look on his face. The boy briefly explained what this class was and who that strange man was. _So Zippy over here is actually Professor Oobleck, and he teaches history. Awesome!_ Link, and many other students took out their notebooks. Cardin was the only one who chose not to. The hyperactive teacher began speaking incredibly fast. 

“History, to most of you might be perceived as a long and boring tale of many events, it is imperative to realize that recent events and conflicts could stem from issues from the past, and therefore history is not quite so old and hard to comprehend.” Link jot that down, and Jaune stared at his notebook weirdly. After a few minutes, the teacher delved into the lesson, it was about the faunus. Link managed to write down the important parts as the teacher spoke rapidly. _So the faunus are people who’ve been struggling to get equality? They are seen as a lesser being by some people, too, and that caused a huge war. That really sucks. I guess I’m a faunus, by the looks of it?_ The teacher proposed a question to the class. 

“Do you believe it was correct, or necessary for the faunus to fight for their freedom in such a brutal way?” Cardin slowly raised his hand, and everyone seemed uncomfortable. The speedy teacher stopped in his tracks to nod at him. 

“They should have just accepted the land they were given; those faunus were greedy, so they just took more from us.” The room was silent. 

Professor Oobleck shook his head and mumbled something. Link easily caught it. “This ideology is the way to brew more brutality and resentment among others.” 

_Mipha!_ Link smiled as he felt chills all over his body. Mipha looked in Cardin’s direction, and Cardin looked back in confusion. 

_“Perhaps it is a bit forward of me to ask, but why do you have such a negative view on the faunus race?”_ Mipha’s gentle voice questioned. Cardin scoffed and glared at her. 

_‘Could he be grieving like Muzu?’_

_Maybe? If he wants to talk, I’ll listen. But that’s a strong if._

“Faunus are abominations.” _Great._

Mipha’s golden eyes widened in shock, _“Why do you believe that?”_

Cardin didn’t reply. As a tense silence overcame the classroom, Professor Oobleck continued his lesson. _Release!_ Link, once again, started to write notes. 

Eventually, the bell had rung and students walked out. Just as Link was about to leave for his next class, Blake approached him. Link waved at her. 

“Don’t let that idiot bother you.” _Revali!_

Revali scoffed, _“He did not cause me any trouble in the first place,”_ his gaze had shifted into a serious look, _“Is there a reason why you wish to speak to me?”_

“It’s a silly thought, but it seems like you are from another world, but that’s impossible.” _Yes. Impossible, yes! Oh Hylia._

He laughed at her, _“I suppose you can believe that, Miss Faunus.”_ Revali whispered his last words. Blake sharply glared at him, she was already on guard. 

“How do you even _know_ that?” She hissed at him. Revali sighed. 

_“Child, hush. It was quite obvious to me once Cardin opened his mouth.”_

“You will tell absolutely no one.” She snarled at him. _Why. Why is she so angry?_

Revali's face remained stoic, despite the threat, _“I have my own secrets, Blake. Besides, I can’t say a single word.”_ There was a mix of Revali’s smooth voice and a quiet, raspy voice. Blake’s sharp glare morphed into a look of confusion. 

“Was that Link?” Revali nodded. 

_“If you need nothing else from me, I’ll take my leave.” Release._ Link had walked up to Ruby, who had waited for him. The duo headed to their next class. 

His next three classes were nothing but a blur, except the Weapons Class that was right before Lunch. He had enjoyed listening to the calm and experienced teacher ramble on about creating and using weapons. There were a few moments where the teacher would make jokes. Although, he did wonder why and how normal items became weapons. 

It was now Lunch, and Link was absolutely amazed by the abundance of food. He looked at his tablemates; team RWBY and Jaune’s team, in awe. Both teams had laughed. 

“As you can see, this is the Cafeteria.” Weiss explained. _Food. Food. Food. Food._ Link nodded before he zoomed right up to the mass amount of different foods. _Look at all of this! Meat, Vegetables, Grains, Breads, Desserts._ Link grabbed a plate and placed a small grilled steak, white rice and red beans, mashed potatoes, broccoli and last but not least, vanilla ice cream. _Oh right, Button! How could I forget about my own child?_ Before he left, Link grabbed a small bowl and grabbed a handful of seeds and crushed nuts. With both hands full, and a wide smile, Link returned to his table. Button immediately emerged from his hair and flew down to eat. The little bird had stolen a few grains of rice and dropped it in his bowl with a chirp. Link laughed softly before starting to eat. 

“So, how is Beacon Academy so far, Link?” Ruby asked with a smile. Link gave her a thumbs up. After a few minutes of chatting, laughing and eating with the two teams, Link heard heavy footsteps. As he turned around to face the sound, he was greeted with Cardin cracking his knuckles. He had a stupid smirk on his face. Link tilted his head in feigned confusion. 

“Stand up!” The tall boy demanded. Link remained in his seat and continued eating. 

Cardin growled at him, “Are you deaf, too?” Link ignored him. 

“Cardin, leave Link alone!” Jaune defended him. Link smiled, however his smile was wiped off his face with Cardin’s next words. 

“Shut up, you’re too weak to actually defend him in a fight, he’s way better than you, anyway. Oh right, he _isn’t,_ he lost to you.” _Did he not see the fight I had with angry pink guy?_ Link stood up with a sigh. _Daruk._

_“I’m not too sure if that statement made sense, bro.”_ Daruk placed his hand on his chin in confusion. 

“And you’re an idiot.” He laughed at Daruk. 

_“I guess I am! Although, it’s not a problem if I have my friends with me.”_ Daruk smiled widely; jovial laughter spilled out of his mouth. Cardin glared at him as he tried to goad Daruk into fighting him. 

_“Wait a second,”_ Daruk’s smile had vanished, _“If you are so strong, why don’t you protect the weak?”_

Cardin pointed at Jaune, “People like him _don’t_ deserve to be defended! He’s better off dead to a Grimm attack than leading his team. This weakling is the leader to an amazing team, and his less than average fighting skills makes JNPR look _weak._ ” 

_Wow. He’s--_

Daruk, the lovable Goron, glared at the misguided child, _“If Jaune is weak, then what does that make you? Weaker?”_

The tall young man glared back, “It makes me stronger.” Fed up with the boy’s backwards logic, Daruk decided to leave Link’s body. _No, Daruk, come back! No! Cardin, you idiot. I doubt the other Champions want to deal with him, now._ Link sighed and shook his head. 

“That fight with that mutt was a fluke; a show to prove you’re worth something. You’re probably as weak as your copy.” _I don’t. What? Cardin, go away. Cardin, come on, really? Oh, Hylia._ Link rolled his eyes and nodded. 

“Maybe I should _check,_ ” he looked at the two groups’ angry and disgusted faces, “what do you think, guys?” He smirked. Upon receiving total silence and a few glares, he turned to Link. 

Before Cardin could say anything, Link tapped his cheek with a grin. He nodded with a laugh. _Take the bait, take the bait, take it, you fool!_

Cardin snarled and instantly punched Link hard in the face. He made a show of falling to the ground. His nose was bleeding. Out of nowhere, Link heard Ozpin’s voice. He looked at Ozpin in fear and pointed to Cardin. Ozpin saw through Link’s act and smiled. Ozpin sipped from his mug to hide his expression. 

“Mr. Winchester, I advise you not to fight in the cafeteria, we do have an arena, after all.” 

Cardin, despite being chided by Ozpin, smugly looked at Link. Link stood up and stared at Cardin. _Is he that stupid not to realize that I set him up?_

“I guess we know who is stronger.” _Oh for the love of Hylia._ Link sighed and shook his head. Cardin rose an eyebrow. _Revali, please._

_“It utterly baffles me how foolish you are. You are certainly not the strongest person between the both of us.”_

“Are you trying humiliate me?” Revali placed his hand on his forehead. 

_“If you believe so, then yes, I am.” I. Can’t. Revs, I can’t!_ Link had begun to laugh. 

Cardin sneered at Revali, and then at Button. He smirked; as if he was creating a plan and without another word, he left the cafeteria. _Yay, he’s gone! Finally. Thanks for your help, Revs! Release._ Link dumbly looked at his group of friends and Ozpin before laughing. He signed to Ozpin with shaky fingers. 

‘He is so stupid, it’s great.' _Man, this kid might as well be Muzu._ Ozpin smiled once more before speaking. 

“I suppose that he isn’t the brightest.” With those words, team RWBY and Jaune’s team; JNPR laughed. The bell had rung, and Lunch was sadly over. Ruby waited for Link at the doors and Jaune walked up to him. 

“He isn’t wrong, though. I’m-” Link quickly cut Jaune off with a glare. _Urbosa!_

_“Strength is never determined by how many monsters you destroy, strength is never determined by how good you are in battle, strength, is determined by your will and sacrifice. Moreover, it is determined by no one but yourself. That voe does not consider the true meaning of strength, and because of that, he is the weak one.”_ Jaune was shocked. 

“Thank you, Urbosa.” She nodded. 

Urbosa grinned at Jaune, _“You passed the second test, voe.”_

“What, how?” 

Urbosa laughed heartily, _“You impressed me with your modesty, you, according to that voe, a weakling defended the strong.”_ The boy blushed. 

_“Come along to Beacon Cliff after school.”_ Jaune nodded. With that, Urbosa walked off and stood next to Ruby. _Release!_ The two students walked upstairs, to their next class. Ruby started a conversation with the boy. 

The next four classes were a blur, and suddenly the school day was over. 

_Well, I guess it’s time to train Jaune!_ He thought before heading out of Beacon Academy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favorite moment?


	9. Boot Camp and Confrontation (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Urbosa trains Jaune!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to chapter 9.
> 
> Sorry for any errors.

Link smiled brightly. _It’s kind of a silly thought, but it’s strangely ironic to be training my copy, eh, then again, we’re so different! I guess I could say I was rather stoic, but now I’m just a goof with major emotional trauma! That’s no big deal! And Jaune, he’s fairly awkward, but it’s endearing, in a way._ Shaking his head, he continued to walk until he reached his destination. 

Beacon Cliff. 

He heard his bird chirp, Button climbed down from his head and down to his shoulder. He laughed. Link placed his bag on the ground and took out a random sword. He swung it a couple of times. His sword swinging faltered once he heard two distinct voices. Jaune and his apologetic teammate. _I never caught the girl’s name._

“I’m kinda scared right now.” Jaune laughed nervously.

“Why is that, Jaune?” His teammate asked.

“What if,” he paused, “What if I’m not good enough, you know? I’m not the best in combat, even with your tips, so I definitely won’t impress Link.”

“I believe, that you are, Jaune. It seems like Link would think that as well, considering that he’ll train you.” There was a small moment of silence before anyone had spoke up.

“Thank you, Pyrrha.” _Well, I know her name now!_

Soon enough, their voices got closer. Jaune and Pyrrha were now a few feet away from him. Jaune waved, while Pyrrha smiled at him. Link waved back. Link noticed they were dressed differently. _Armor, huh? I think Urbosa would be impressed by that._

“I know you only wanted me to show up, but, uh I thought it’d be helpful to have two teachers,” he scratched the back of his head, “This is Pyrrha.” Link smiled at her and nodded. Button chirped and flew onto Jaune’s shoulder. He shook and ruffled his feathers with a tiny yawn. Link placed his sword on the ground. _Urbosa!_ Urbosa smiled warmly at them.

_“Pyrrha, would you kindly give me a nickname for our new student?”_ Jaune stared at his teammate; as if conveying the message: please don’t do this to me. Pyrrha caught his gaze with an uneasy smile.

“I’m sorry, Jaune,” she apologized before looking at Urbosa, “Is ‘Vomit Boy’ a good one?” She asked sheepishly. Urbosa burst out laughing at the nickname and Jaune’s reaction. The poor voe looked absolutely crushed beyond belief, he hung his head and mumbled.

“Pyrrha, _why?_ ”

_“I’d love to hear the story behind that wonderful nickname,”_ Urbosa quickly regained her composure, although she still had a smile on her face, her eyes conveyed her seriousness, _“Let us begin, shall we? You will start with the basics; hand to hand combat, blocking, dodging and kicking.”_

“Uh, wait, what about sword fighting?” Urbosa clicked her tongue.

_“You’ll get there, Vomit Boy. To add as an incentive, once you complete your first lesson, I will call you by your last name.”_

He let out a defeated groan before speaking, “No first name?”

_“You ask quite a lot of questions.”_ Urbosa teased; her hands were placed on her hips. 

“Sorry, Urbosa.” She laughed at him as she waved him off.

She turned to Pyrrha, _“You can focus on different things to teach Vomit Boy.”_ Pyrrha nodded. Urbosa stared at the voe with a grin as she entered a fighting stance. Jaune slowly copied her. Urbosa furrowed her eyebrows and walked over to Jaune. 

_“Your arms are too far apart, and your legs are too close together,”_ Jaune shifted and changed the position of his arms and legs, _“Let me show you how easy it would be to overpower you.”_ Urbosa quickly landed a punch to Jaune’s face and kicked both of his legs. He fell as soon as her first hit connected. Pyrrha winced. 

_“Get up, voe.”_ She demanded; sounding unimpressed. The boy groaned before getting up. 

_“Again!”_ Jaune once again entered a stance. It was slightly better. Urbosa tilted her head before knocking Jaune down a second time. He got up with a sigh. Urbosa immediately punched him in the chest; his chest plate reduced the force of the blow. Shaking her head, she lightly jabbed him in his throat, luckily for Jaune, he managed to block. She smiled briefly. 

She glanced at Pyrrha, _“Should I help him with his stance, hm?”_ Pyrrha seemed caught off guard for a moment.

“I believe so, I’m sorry but I don’t think your way of training Ja-Vomit Boy would make him improve.” The young vai genuinely seemed to feel bad for saying those words.

_“Do not fret, vai. Perhaps beating Vomit Boy half to death won’t help.”_ Urbosa said. She walked towards Jaune and he flinched; most likely expecting her to hit him. She lightly grabbed his left wrist and brought it a bit far away from his face, once his left arm was in the right place, she nodded and moved his right arm slightly lower than his left; and closer to his face. She then lightly weaved her foot around his right foot and softly kicked it apart. She softly kicked his left foot forward. 

_“Bend your knees,”_ she smiled as he; with her help, correctly entered a fighting stance, _“Good, now make sure you curl your fist tightly and keep your footing.”_ She suddenly kicked his legs and grinned as Jaune remained standing.

_“Good job!”_ Jaune smiled with a pink blush on his cheeks. Pyrrha clapped. 

_“Stand normally,”_ Urbosa ordered and Jaune looked confused, _“Vomit Boy, relax.”_ With confusion still plastered on his face, he lowered his arms; uncurled his hands, and closed his legs. 

Urbosa smiled slyly and slowly punched him, shock was written on his face before he quickly changed his posture. Urbosa backed up and crossed her arms.

_“Good reaction time, Vomit Boy! Now do that for five minutes.”_ Jaune nodded. While Jaune was practicing, Urbosa addressed Pyrrha.

_“What would you wish to do?”_

“Perhaps I can help him with using his Aura; he tends not to activate it at will.” Urbosa looked slightly puzzled.

Pyrrha let out a soft laugh, “According to Vomit Boy, Aura is like a force field.” 

Urbosa’s lips quirked into a smile, _“I see. I assume it’s required to control it, due to his current profession.”_ Pyrrha nodded.

_“So why don’t you teach him?”_ She teased her lightly. Pyrrha blushed in response.

The two females heard a sigh. 

“I’m done!” He weakly hollered. Urbosa gave him a moment to breathe before she rushed towards Jaune and punched him, the boy instantly blocked.

_“It seems you’ve gotten this down,”_ she glanced at Pyrrha, _“why don’t we try something different, Pyrrha?”_ Pyrrha walked closer to Jaune with a shy expression on her face. 

“You unlocked your Aura, but you need to use it without thinking. Then, there is using it offensively and defensively,” she smiled at him, “the more you practice using Aura, the more opportunities you gain.” 

Jaune smiled back and closed his eyes. A slight white glow formed around Jaune, Urbosa looked curious. 

“Now open your eyes and keep your Aura activated.” Jaune opened his eyes and the light wavered. 

“Focus.” She quietly reprimanded him. Jaune’s Aura became stable.

“Do you wish to continuously use your Aura for protection and offense or rely on it occasionally?” Jaune thought about it for moment.

“I think it’ll be cool to use it a lot.” Pyrrha nodded.

“Then, you must constantly activate it. Once you can subconsciously use your Aura, we can move on to further Aura training. That will take a lot of work, but I believe in you.” 

“Thank you, Pyrrha.” 

With a nod, Pyrrha responded, “You’re welcome,” she paused and stared at Jaune for a few seconds, “Deactivate and reactivate your Aura. I’m not sure if this will help, but imagine a locked box or a cage and open and close it.” Jaune nodded as his Aura disappeared and appeared.

“How long should I be doing this for?”

“It is up to you.”

While Jaune focused on maintaining his Aura, the two girls began conversing. 

_“What else can an Aura do?”_ Urbosa asked with curiosity.

“If a person has strong Aura; or a large amount of it,” she stared at Jaune before looking back at Urbosa, “It can heal minor injuries.” Urbosa hummed in response. Pyrrha glanced at Urbosa, then to Jaune and laughed.

_“What is so funny?”_

“I’m sorry, but I just imagined if you were to swap outfits with Jaune, er, Vomit Boy, no one would be able tell who is who.” Urbosa laughed.

_“If he happens to miss training or is unable to make progress in a lesson, perhaps we can swap our clothes.”_ She smirked. Pyrrha smiled softly. After several minutes of conversing, Jaune announced that he was finished. Urbosa noticed that it was rather late, the sky was a lovely mix of orange and pink. 

_“I believe we can continue our training tomorrow, Vomit Boy,”_ as Urbosa called out to Button; the little bird snuggled up to Urbosa’s shoulder, she began walking away with her hand in the air; waving the two off, _“You both did wonderful today. Sav'orq.” Release._ The two students said their goodbyes. 

Once in his dorm, Link smiled tiredly to himself. He opened his bag and gently took out his red Zora armor with a fond, but pained smile. The armor had two intricate silver shoulder plates and two metallic wrist guards, underneath the shoulder plates was a dark gray material in a scale pattern that ended right near the elbows, there also was silver jewelry in the shape of a diamond with small pieces of light blue jewels around the collar. Slung around the armor was another piece of silver jewelry with white crescent moon shaped scales connected by small silver beads. There was a belt made out of beads and a small teal sphere with a horizontally shaped diamond. The majority of the outfit was colored a slight dark red, while the simple geometric shape design on the sides and elbows were a much lighter red. The gloves were an even darker shade of red. _I really miss Mipha._ He sighed before laying on his bed; clutching the armor Mipha made for him, he tried to fall asleep.


	10. Boot Camp and Confrontation (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Button is missing.
> 
> Jaune is missing.
> 
> Link finds Jaune. Jaune doesn't have good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "somewhat calm before the storm" chapter

Link had no clue when or if he ever slept last night, but he did know that the morning sun was burning his eyes. Sighing, he got up from his comfortable bed and put the Zora Armor back in his bag. _I slept in my clothes, as usual. That’s fine._ Button chirped, he sounded worried as he tilted his head. Link pet his head softly. He dug into his bag to find some random food, and ate it. He changed into his regular set of clothes, the Hylian tunic and Soldier’s greaves. _I hope that there aren’t any classes today, I need to train. I should ask Ruby about it, but I’m not really sure where her dorm is._ With a tired smile, he cupped Button in his hand and placed him on his shoulder, Link made sure to grab his bag as well. He opened the door and walked out; he locked it on his way out.

He walked downstairs and knocked on each door. He deflated slightly when he heard no response. Eventually, he turned right; near the end of the hall and knocked on the wooden door. It opened to reveal Ruby and a small black and white dog. He blinked before Ruby completely opened the door, and she ushered him in. The room seemed like a functional hazard. Personal belongings such as books, posters and other items were scattered around the room, and beds were stacked on top of each other with books and several ropes. _Bunk beds. That’s creative!_ Other than that, the room was similar to his. Link looked around, noticing that the three other members were missing. Ruby seemed to understand him and explained to him.

“Weiss, Yang and Blake went out! They went to some kind of party, I think? Oh, and if you were wondering, it’s a weekend so no classes for the whole day!” Link nodded. 

_Mipha._

_“I hope I won’t impose on you, but would it be acceptable if you took care of Button for me?”_ Ruby smiled.

“Sure! What are you going to do?”

_“I’d like to train in Emerald Forest today.”_

“Whoa, have fun! Well, I just need to get Zwei,” she pointed to the small dog, “some food! I’ll be out for a bit.” _Release._ With that, Link nodded and placed Button on the bookcase under the window and left the room. For some reason, Link had a very bad feeling. 

Even while killing Grimm and exploring the forest, that bad feeling never left. It coiled around his stomach as he strolled through the ordinary but beautiful forest. It had been about an hour until he gave up training and went back to Beacon Academy. _What is even going on? Was it because I left Button with Ruby? What could have happened in the span of a few minutes, let alone an hour?_ As he walked through the halls of Beacon Academy, he checked RWBY’s dorm. He knocked, he heard barking and scratching on the other side of the door. _Is Ruby still gone? Wait._ He realized he didn’t hear the familiar sound of Button’s chirps. His blood ran cold. _Where. Where is Button?_ He checked the door across from RWBY’s dorm. He was slightly surprised to find Pyrrha standing behind the door. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes held worry in them.

“Good morning, Link. Have you seen Jaune? The last time I saw him, he seemed afraid.” _Jaune is missing, too?_ Link shook his head. Pyrrha looked saddened by the news. _Urbosa!_

_“I will look for him, do not fret.” Release!_ Pyrrha smiled softly, silently thanking him. Link waved her goodbye and continued walking. Seeing that his copy or Button wasn’t on this floor, he went upstairs. _Now I have two missing persons to find. I hope they are alright._ Keeping a stoic expression, Link walked through another hallway. He bumped into a very terrified and guilty-looking Jaune. Upon noticing Link was right in front of him, the poor boy panicked; his eyes were wide and he rushed through his words.

“I’msosorryCardinblackmailedmeintohandingButtonovertohimpleasehatemeforbeingsostupidandselfish.” _Wait, what?_ Link blinked in confusion. Jaune inhaled shakily. 

“I ran into Cardin,” he avoided Link’s gaze and scratched the back of his head, “and he threatened to blackmail me, and I had to-,” he struggled to say his next words, “I had to steal Button and-” Link gently placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. He narrowed his eyes, in thought. _So Cardin decided it was a great idea to get back at me? Not only that, but he roped Jaune into this, too? I’m more angry at Cardin to have taken this a bit far, rather than Jaune reluctantly following Cardin’s orders. A fight would have sufficed._ Jaune yelped slightly, most likely because he thought Link was angry at him. Link softened his expression and smiled. _Even though Jaune saved his own skin, I don’t want to berate him, he’s already so upset about it. There’s no point in making him feel worse. Mipha!_

_“I do not blame you, Jaune. It may be confusing to believe, but while you chose to be selfish, you carried a burden about your decision, therefore, it is quite alright.”_ She smiled at him. The boy looked relieved as he whispered a thank you to her. _Release._

“Right, uh, in order to get Button back, you have to beat him in a fight, at the arena.” _Of course the fight comes last._ Link nodded and waved the boy over. Jaune froze in place for a second before walking up to Link. Link gave Jaune a curious look, which prompted him to speak.

“It’s also in five minutes?” Jaune finished awkwardly. _Great. Amazing. Wow. Stupid Cardin with his stupid hair and stupid smug smirk. Stupid Cardin, at least Muzu had a reason to be angry and distasteful._ He scowled. Link noticed that Jaune jumped at his expression. His copy meekly replied with an apology. Link offered a smile to Jaune. 

“The arena is in another building, come on.” Jaune said with a weak and dejected smile. Jaune was now leading the way and eventually reached their destination. Opening the large doors, Link saw a massive room with a fairly medium sized stage with a tall ornate backdrop with blue lights, and raised bleachers arranged in a circle around the stage. The floor was dark brown and white near the area around the stage and bleachers. Looking up, he noticed there was a glass dome. The stage floor was also white. Students had filled the seats, and Link spotted a few faces he recognized, RWBY, JNPR, the boy with tiger ears and his friend. In the center of the stage were three people. Ozpin, Cardin and another staff member; a lady with short blonde hair and green eyes. Cardin folded his arms with a smirk on his face. _Wow, he really wants to get back at me, huh?_ Link ignored Cardin and signed to Ozpin.

‘Professor Ozpin, what is exactly going on here?’ Ozpin drank from his mug before replying. 

“Cardin took up my offer; to fight in the arena, Ms. Goodwitch,” he turned to the lady, “and I considered that it would be a good learning experience for our students.” 

‘I see.’ 

Ms. Goodwitch glanced at Link, then to the mass amount of students, “Mr. Dorephan, once you step onto the stage, your battle with Cardin will begin. If at any moment you need to stop, let us know.” Link nodded and jumped onto the stage. Link glared at Cardin. The two teachers stepped off the stage and suddenly a few panels around the bleachers lit up and displayed information that Link could barely understand. _Health bars?_ Link also noticed that Jaune made his way to the bleachers; joining his friends.

Ozpin spoke up next, “Whoever’s Aura nearly deteriorates is the loser. Good luck.” 

Cardin wore different clothes, too. Instead of the school uniform, he wore silver-gray armor with a gold trim, the chestplate had a golden bird with its wings outstretched. Underneath the armor, was a black shirt with red trimmings and black pants with a red belt tied around his waist. 

“Aw, is the little faunus mad about his missing annoying pet?” Link closed his eyes and quickly reopened them, he replaced his glare with a stoic and unemotional look. He was very good at that. Upon receiving silence as an answer, Cardin continued. 

“You know, if you didn’t humiliate me like that, I wouldn’t have taken your stupid pet,” he smirked as he narrowed his eyes, “I guess you’re too stupid to realize that.” _Can he just stop talking and attack already?_ Link ignored him and dropped his bag on the stage floor. _Huh. Now I’m stumped. Should I waste my stronger weapons and beat this guy senseless and with ease? Or should I use much weaker weapons because he’s just as weak as them? Should I use arrows and bows, too?_ He bit his lip as he intently stared at his bag. _Or should I risk using a Champion weapon? I shouldn’t. I can’t. No._

“I’m waiting.” Cardin said, clearly annoyed at the lack of attention. Link glanced at him before taking out a Zora Shield, a Bokoblin club and a random bow. _I have quite a few weak weapons, they’ll break quickly, though._ He quickly picked up his bag from the floor. He heard Cardin laughing hard.

“Don’t tell me that you are going to beat me with a large _stick._ This will be almost _too_ easy for me. I feel bad for you, so bad that I’ll allow you to make the first move.” _He’s rather sure of his abilities._ Link looked at the students. _Should I let the Champions fight, too? Wait, no. Bad idea._ He grabbed several shock arrows from his bag. _He has metal on him, great!_ Narrowing his eyes, he placed a shock arrow on his Knight’s bow and shot it. He smiled as he heard the boy shout and involuntarily drop his mace. The weapon looked and sounded rather heavy as a hard thud sounded as soon as it hit the floor. While Cardin was still shocked, Link grabbed his Sheikah Slate and tapped the Magnesis+ rune, and aimed the tablet at the mace. Link had a goofy smile on his face as Cardin’s mace moved up and down in the air due to the tablet. He then harshly flicked his arm, causing the mace to smack Cardin hard in the head. Cardin returned back to normal, and Link noticed he was livid. Link waved at the boy. Cardin charged at Link and he deactivated Magnesis+, causing the mace to fall to the ground with a thud. Cardin roughly grabbed his mace and swung it hard at Link’s body, Link dodged at the right time and quickly replaced his bow for his wooden club, Link started to bash the blunt weapon on Cardin’s upper body. Once time went back to normal, Link back flipped away. He glanced at the panel. _So, Cardin’s Aura slightly decreased, using shock arrows for the whole fight could be a good idea._ The tall young man still seemed furious.

“You filthy little _mutt,_ ” Link nodded violently with a stoic expression, he wanted to laugh, but decided against it, “I’ll show you not to mess with me.” Cardin got a blank look in response. _Heeeeeeeey, Revs, hey!_

_‘No.’_

_Um, Daruk?_

_‘Sorry, little man.’_

_Urbosa!_

_She laughed at him in his head._

_Dammit._

_Mipha?_

_‘Forgive me Link, but I believe you can do this on your own.’_

_That’s Mipha speak for: no way! Well, that’s alright._ Cardin once again charged at Link, only for him to dodge it. He quickly bashed his weapon at Cardin until it broke into blue shimmering pieces. Confusion was briefly on Cardin’s face, until he began to grin. 

“You don’t have a weapon anymore, poor you.” He sneered before swinging his mace right at Link’s face, Link blocked the attack with his shield. The sound of metal clashing against metal was satisfying to Link’s ears. _That reminds me of the first Lynel I fought, Larry Thomas, thank you for gracing my ears. That fight was terrifyingly fun! I’ll never forget that I perfect dodged him twice in a millisecond._ Link was brought out of his memories when Cardin’s mace smacked him hard in the face. Link stumbled. He took out another Bokoblin club with a sly look on his face. Cardin stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

“You’re going to use those over sized sticks to beat me, really? I guess that fight with that damn _cat_ was a fluke, after all.” _I mean, I do have several stronger weapons! Would you like to meet them? Oh, they already declined to meeting you._ Cardin was about to swing his mace again, only for Link to side step very early. Link back flipped and shot a few more shock arrows. The boy was stunned and his weapon fell onto the floor. Link glanced at the weapon before replacing his bow with the club and rushed towards the boy. He smacked the still electrified boy with his club a few times. He noticed that his club was damaged. The boy recovered and slammed his fist into Link’s face. Link felt blood dripping from his nose. _Cool, nosebleed._ Cardin picked up his weapon with a snarl.

“Stop being a coward and actually fight me,” _what?_ Link looked at Cardin in confusion, “You have an advantage over me,” _actually, I have multiple,_ “so stop using your damn bow and make it fair.” _I don’t. What? Fair? Fair?! No! Battles aren’t supposed to be fair, you idiot. Why do I immediately regret saying those last words?_ Shaking his head, he bashed the club against the boy’s head. The weapon broke. Link’s eyes brightened as he was struck with an idea. He laughed softly. Cardin glared at him. _So, I can’t use my bow or shock arrows? Fine, I’ll use something else._ Grinning, he took out a handful of Yellow Chuchu jellies. The jiggly and squishy greenish-yellow substances pulsed with electricity. He threw one after another at the boy. He smiled when the jellies exploded with electricity, effectively shocking the boy again. Link produced another club out of his bag and instantly attacked the boy. Link grinned when he heard the students cheer. After rapidly smacking the boy around with his club, the weapon broke. Link glanced at the panel; Cardin’s Aura was more than half, now. The boy let out a shrill noise of anger as tried to hit Link as much as possible. The boy seemed to not care for his surroundings as his furious gaze locked on to Link. _Ah, he’s getting hasty. At least Yang knows how to use her anger in a fight. Speaking of her, I should have that rematch later._ Link focused on dodging and blocking Cardin’s attacks. As he grabbed another club from his bag, Cardin grabbed onto the handle of the weapon with both hands and swung hard. Link was knocked down. The boy scoffed at Link. 

“You _must_ be weak if I knocked you do-” Cardin was interrupted by a club to the face. The tall boy snarled at Link’s soft smile. 

“Did you just throw your weapon at me?” He yelled at Link. He nodded. Cardin grabbed the Bokoblin club and swung it at Link’s hip, and then swung his own weapon at him. The Bokoblin club was smashed into pieces upon hitting Link’s hip. Link winced at the pain and grabbed his last club out of his bag. He also took out a Red Chuchu Jelly; an orange squishy substance with fire and smashed it on the Bokoblin club. The entire weapon, except the handle, was burning. _This weapon might break a little faster, but it’s worth it!_ Link dashed towards Cardin with his burning club and shield, he smacked him with the burning club. Although Cardin was on fire for a few seconds, he smashed the mace at Link and Link yet again blocked it with his shield. Link swung the club at Cardin a couple of times and watched as it broke into pieces. 

“You _rat!_ ” Link was knocked down by Cardin, his bag fell onto the floor. Cardin smirked at Link as he slowly picked up the bag and roughly grabbed a random weapon. Mipha’s Lightscale Trident. _No._ The two handed spear was sliver. The side of three pronged tips of the spear had a pale red on the inside of the metal, and the two tips were designed like hooks. The middle had a pointed tip, similar to an arrow with a thin sea green oval shaped gem in the center. Teardrop shaped teal gems hanged from the bottom of the hook-shaped tips. In the center of the pole was a small teal metal. _No. No, no, no!_ Link was beginning to panic, his eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. Link stood up and ran to retrieve the trident. He was kicked and smacked down. Cardin stared at the weapon in his hands with a malicious grin on his face. He spoke up. 

“You wouldn’t happen to like this weapon, right?” Link glared at the boy. 

The tall boy kicked Link hard in the chest and stomped on it. The boy sneered at him. Link coughed. Link ignored Cardin and frantically glanced at the trident. _I could stop this. I could. But if I do, Cardin wouldn’t learn a thing. Mipha! Please!_

_“Cardin, would you please give my weapon back?”_ She asked slowly. 

Cardin replied with a sly grin, “No.” Cardin repeatedly smashed and jabbed the trident into Link’s chest. He was bleeding. 

Mipha’s weapon eventually shattered into pieces. 


	11. fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm has hit. Hard.
> 
> Oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What wonderful fun to be had.
> 
> This chapter is rather violent, so if it's too much, you can skip it.

He stopped breathing.

His heart stopped as soon as he saw the glowing blue shards slowly vanish. 

He couldn’t hear a thing.

Unwanted memories poured into his head. They were a jumbled mess of words.

_“Hey Miphs!”_

_“‘Miphs’?”_

_“Yeah, it’s your new nickname!”_

_“Mipha, you’re pretty.”_

_“Perhaps we can spend some time together, after the Calamity has been stopped.”_

_‘What are you doing, Mipha? Why are you staring at my body like that?’_

_“You have so many bruises and cuts on your skin. I will always heal them for you.”_

_“The Zora armor my daughter made for you, is a symbol of love.”_

_“Mipha loved Link, can’t you see that, Muzu? The armor my sister made for him fits perfectly!”_

_‘Why are you all so angry at me? Who are you even talking about?’_

_“You killed Lady Mipha!”_

The boy above him said something, with a smirk on his face. Stop. Stop talking. 

There was a deep, dark red aura flowing from Link’s body. Link was engulfed in a shadowy ball of pure darkness. Ashes and specks of magenta light formed around the ball and floated upwards. He couldn’t hear his own pained screams. The noise in his ears and his head increased. The ball slowly morphed into black mist; the dark red aura had become larger until it slowly dispersed. The boy’s skin was gray; almost black. His pure white hair contrasted with his skin. His irises were a glowing dark red, and his slit pupils were a bright glowing orange. His sclera was jet black. Link was gone. The demon noticed that it had a thin jet black long sword in it’s left hand. The sword had small gray thorns wrapped around the center of the blade. The hilt was loosely wrapped with ripped white cloth, above the hilt was a small glowing eyeball with an orange iris and a slit black pupil. There were flecks of magenta light and a black mist coming from the blade. The demon had jet black and ashen gray armor that was attached to its body; almost as if the armor was apart of its body. The demon’s lips were in a thin grim line, it’s eyes were narrowed in fury as it stared at the foolish human above it.

The demon snarled at the fool. The fool jumped back in fear; his eyes were wide and his eyebrows curved upwards. He was sweating. The demon’s lips curled into a wicked smile as it slowly licked its lips. Its eyes held mirth and pleasure before it flickered back into anger. The fool had begun to run; the human was visibly shaking. The human had glanced at Gray and the witch, before glancing back at the demon. The demon slowly tilted its head to the left; a bored expression graced its face. It waited for the human to do something interesting. The moment never came as the human remained at the opposite end of the stage. The demon bent and raised its left elbow to its face, and twisted its wrist. The demon glanced at its weapon as the gray thorns unwrapped itself from the blade and extended, the thorns quickly latched itself onto the human’s arm. The demon dashed towards the human and lightly slashed its sword against the human’s chest plate, despite putting no effort or any power in its swing, the sword cut through the human’s armor. The human struggled to retaliate; the human’s arm was pinned by the thorns. The mist coming from the blade solidified into droplets of inky black substances. It looked as thick as blood. The droplets running down the blade dripped onto the floor and congregated into a wide dotted line. With a flick of the demon’s wrist, each mass of the black blood in the dotted line formed a large black spike that jutted out from the ground. The human was briefly rooted on the ground before avoiding the attack. The spikes morphed back into black blood and returned into the blade. The thorns latched onto the human’s arm tightened its hold; it crushed the boy’s piece of armor and ripped the sleeve of his shirt. The thorns released its grip on the boy’s arm and returned to the blade. The human slowly walked towards the demon in fear and swung his weapon hard. The demon simply blocked the blow with his right arm. The human looked shocked. The demon knocked the boy’s weapon out of his hand with a harsh strike of its sword; the thorns completely and tightly wrapped around the blade, it then pulled its left arm back and sharply pulled it forward; piercing and stabbing the boy in the stomach. The demon grinned as it roughly pulled the thin sword out of his body; blood covered the pitch black sword and the gray thorns surrounding it. The demon’s eyes flicked at the blood stained sword in child-like curiosity and glee. It watched as the blood slowly dripped from the blade. The demon brought the sword near its lips and slowly closed its eyes; taking in the sweet scent of the human’s blood. It softly licked some of the blood off of the sword. It’s eyes snapped open; its eyes were hazy and unfocused in pleasure. It briefly looked at the human who was clutching his bleeding stomach. 

It wanted more. It craved more. 

The mist from the blade changed once again as the demon pointed the blade to the human. The black blood became needle thin lines and jutted from different directions. The mass amount of long and crooked needles pierced through the human’s chest plate, the armor covering his legs and arms. The boy fell to the ground, covered in blood as the needles continued its’ assault. The human’s gaze became more fearful and frantic as the demon stalked closer. Silent words were spilling from the boy’s mouth as he coughed up blood. The demon leaned forward with the sword lightly pressed against its prey’s neck. Blood began to bubble out from the boy’s neck. Just before the demon plunged the sword into the human’s neck, it was suddenly knocked off of its prey. Turning its head, the demon saw colors. Red. White. Black. Yellow. Red looked terrified as the color held a massive scythe in their hands; words were tumbling from their mouth. Briefly, the demon’s eyes flashed with recognition. Ruby.

The demon glanced at Yellow, Black and White with an angry expression. The demon growled at the four colors. The thorns instantly uncurled and latched itself on Red, the color snapped to action and cut them with their scythe. The thorns turned into dust and faded away. Yellow launched themselves forward with their right hand behind their body. Yellow looked furious as they immediately got close enough to the demon and rapidly punched it’s face. The demon backflipped away from Yellow as the color fired small missiles from their gauntlets. Red looked at White, then to the demon with a sad look in their eyes. The demon’s right eye twitched. White kept their eyes on the demon as they walked near Red. Red’s weapon transformed into a medium length rifle. White summoned a white glyph in front of Red’s weapon; it appeared to be in the shape of a snowflake in the center with unreadable words circling the the glyph like a ring. White pulled the trigger around the hilt, causing the silver-gray rapier’s chamber around the hilt to spin, until it stopped at a blue vial. Red mouthed some words to White and suddenly Red pulled the trigger. The demon nearly avoided the bullets, however some managed to burst into ice crystals as it pelted the demon. 

The demon hissed in pain. In retaliation, the demon sprinted around the two colors and slammed the sword into the stage floor. The mist flowed down into the floor and solidified. The black blood crept towards the two colors and once it nearly reached the colors, it shot up and formed a large pointed arc. Red burst into red petals and dodged the attack. White jumped away. Yellow glanced at Black. Black’s weapon; a thick gray sheath with a sharp edge was unsheathed to reveal a dark gray katana with a compact pistol built into its hilt. The end of the katana’s blade had a sharpened double edge; ending in a raised spike. Black’s weapon changed into a pistol with the shorten gray blade connected backwards on the top of the pistol, with a click of a mechanism around the hilt. Black wrapped a black ribbon; that was tied to their right arm, around their weapon’s trigger. 

Yellow latched onto Black’s ribbon and Black swung Yellow as Yellow fired several explosive shots at the demon. Yellow crashed down above the demon while punching the demon hard, causing it to fall and tumble across the stage. The demon clutched and scratched at its hair in frustration, causing a mix of pink and black blood to seep through its scalp. While it was still down, Black and White circled around the demon and launched an attack. White summoned another glyph, and with a click of a trigger and a spun chamber; the glyph became red as White unleashed a vertical wave of fire towards the demon. Black fired several times. The black blood that remained on the stage floor instantly created a wall as the demon slowly got up. The demon weaved through Black’s and White’s attacks and rushed towards Red. The gray thorns reappeared and extended towards Red and made a harsh sweeping motion at Red’s legs, the color quickly avoided it. The thorns wrapped around Red’s arm and roughly pulled the color forward. As Red was being pulled, the color changed its weapon back into a scythe and burst into petals towards the demon. When Red reappeared, the color used both hands and swung their scythe hard into the demon’s side. The demon didn’t react. The thorns returned to the blade as the demon jumped and slashed the blade downward. Red dodged as the demon was suddenly punched in the back by Yellow. Snarling, the demon bent its elbow and raised it to its chin and slashed at Red’s torso. A wave of spiked and solid black blood trailed the blade, and cut through a piece of Red’s blouse and wounded them. The demon smiled as it smelled blood. Red’s eyes widened in fear and they slowly shook their head. The demon pulled back it’s left hand and thrust it forward; piercing the color’s chest with the blade. A mass of black spikes erupted from Red’s back and the demon ripped the sword from their body. The color’s silver eyes stared directly into its red eyes as the color spat out blood; the force and release of the weapon caused heavy blood splatter. 

The color fell to the floor. 

The demon looked disappointed. 

With Red down, the demon stared at the fuming Yellow, and the shocked faces of Black and White. White held their rapier close to their face and summoned a black glyph, White burst forward and thrust her rapier into the demon’s armor and summoned three red glyphs. The red glyphs produced fireballs. While the fireballs hit and burned the demon, Yellow pulled back their arms and launched towards the demon and immediately began punching the demon while firing several missiles. Instead of being knocked down, the demon was sent to its knees; holding its head in agony. It felt like it’s life was slowly draining away. The demon struggled to get up as it coughed up blood. Black created a copy of themselves and propelled themselves towards the demon and slashed at its body. Before the demon could retaliate, Black quickly dodged. Yellow sneered at it in anger. The color’s eyes were red and their hair was glowing. The demon slashed the sword vertically from the floor to Yellow and a long needle shot out from the blade. Yellow sidestepped. The black blood on the blade formed a mass of needles that trailed Yellow as they ran. Multiple needles stabbed the color in various parts of their body, blood formed from their wounds. Seemingly unaffected by the pain, Yellow got angrier as they launched forward and repeatedly uppercut the demon harder and harder as the needles continued to pierce their body, the demon was sent flying, right into the glass ceiling. The demon spat out blood as it fell back down. Just before the demon fell, it rotated its left arm and spun its body and the sword; black blood erupted from the weapon and slashed Yellow’s body as the color was boosted by the momentum of their gauntlets and White’s black glyphs. The color smashed their fist into the demon’s chest as the sword pierced their body. The demon fell on its back and Yellow landed safely back down. 

The demon’s white hair slowly changed back to dirty blonde, its eyes went back to sapphire and its ashen gray skin dissolved into mist and disappeared. The weapon the demon had slowly began to fade away. Link frantically looked around and grimaced when he saw Ruby laying in a pool of blood and Cardin severely injured. His wide and terrified eyes met Yang’s furious red eyes. He struggled to breathe as tears formed in his eyes. Yang slowly walked up to Link. He panicked and glanced at his Sheikah Slate. He didn’t want to be here. It was suffocating him with guilt. His body was slowly being covered in glowing blue light and the light from his body flowed upwards, in a mass amount of lines.

He was gone.


	12. False Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link meets Revali.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ravoli Kanoli is a great bird.

The threat that was Calamity Ganon was slowly approaching; looming over the mind and heart of Princess Zelda and her father. 

“We should travel to the Tabantha region and search for another person to pilot the Divine Beast, Vah Medoh.” Zelda’s accented and regal voice announced to me. I nodded, which prompted her to continue. 

“I believe that it is rather cold there, so bundling up would be required.” I nodded again. With warm dublets, two horses and a large supply of food, we were off to find an extremely skilled person to aid us in the eventual fight against Calamity Ganon. It took quite a few days, but we managed to reach the Tabantha region and a town. This village, called, Rito Village was inhabited by humanoid bird people; the Rito. The leader of this village, was a large light brown owl with a small brown beard named Kaneli. Kaneli had a green shirt with various yellow and light green patterns. He also had a black beak and golden eyes.

“Thank you for having us, Chieftain Kaneli. I am certain that you have been made aware of the imminent return of Calamity Ganon, in my letters.” The Rito lightly stroked his beard in thought. 

“Yes, I have, Princess Zelda, however I do not believe in such legends.” I noticed that Princess Zelda’s face slowly turn red in anger. Her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes narrowed. She looked like she’d explode. I softly placed my hand on her shoulder and she breathed slowly. 

“Even so, when this immense danger arrives in Hyrule, I will need a skilled warrior to defend our land. Do you have anyone who is capable for that job?” Kaneli grimaced slightly before he replied. 

“Yes, there is Revali, a master of archery, but it would be ill advised to choose him,” Kaneli avoided the Princess’ gaze, “as he isn’t the most sociable and he is rather haughty.” Kaneli said, slight disdain was in his voice. 

“I asked for a skilled warrior. I wish to examine his skills.” She ordered. Kaneli hooted and rose an eyebrow before slowly nodding. 

“Revali should be at one of the platforms in Rito Village.” 

“Thank you.” Princess Zelda replied before glancing at me. We both walked out in search of the Rito archer, Revali. After wandering around the tower-like town, we found a tall dark blue bird with emerald eyes and a bright yellow beak soaring through the light blue sky. He wore light shoulder pads in the shape of feathers, his chest plate was cream colored, the shirt he wore was red, his baggy pants were also cream colored. Just above his feet were small red and golden ankle bracelets with green rings at the ends. The Rito, presumably, Revali twirled in the air with a bow in his feathered hands. The Rito placed three arrows onto the bow and zoomed through the sky; firing the arrows in different directions, with precision. The Rito flew towards the wooden platform with a confused and guarded look on his face. He flapped his wings before gently landing on the platform. I stared at him in awe. He was amazing. The Rito noticed my stare and quickly looked away. 

“By any chance, are you Revali?” Princess Zelda asked. The Rito smirked.

“Why yes I am, the great Revali.” Princess Zelda rose her eyebrows in surprise. She didn’t seem amused by the Rito’s behavior. A few seconds had passed before Princess Zelda responded. _Oh Hylia, I love him. He’s great, I really like him._

“We are in desperate need of skilled individuals; a total of four, if you will. I believe that you would be an excellent candidate for the role.” Revali crossed his feathered arms with a proud look in his eyes. 

“What kind of role?”

“A Champion. As a Champion, you must be able to work with others,” Revali made a face, “you must be able to pilot the Divine Beast, Vah Medoh, lastly, you must be willing to make sacrifices when the time comes.” Revali slowly nodded. 

Once Revali accepted the burden of being a Champion, Princess Zelda had filled him in. She explained that my sword; the Master Sword and her powers would be the key to stop Calamity Ganon. Revali had glared at me with jealousy and contempt, when he had heard that. She then had explained that the Divine Beasts and their pilots would aid the Hero; me, and the incarnation of Hylia; Princess Zelda. Revali didn’t seem to like that, either, so he had stalked off and flew away. Princess Zelda had rolled her eyes, while I simply stood there. _There has to be a reason why he’s like this. Right?_

The second time I saw him, he was shooting arrows while in the air. I sat on the wooden platform, in complete awe. I watched as he twirled around and zoomed through the sky with a proud look in his eyes. He dived down and a strong gust of wind appeared around the platform, he twirled once again as the winds grew stronger. He must have noticed me staring at him because he instantly met my eyes with a scowl. He really doesn’t like me, huh? The Rito landed on the wooden railing and held his left hand near his head. He feigned curiosity before glaring at me. I gave him a slight smile that threw him off; he furrowed his eyebrows. His glare morphed into an arrogant look. 

“Impressive, I know,” he said looking at me, with his head lowered, “Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky,” he moved his left arm to his side, “Yet I have made an art of creating an updraft that allows me to soar.” He grinned as he raised his right arm and curled his feathered hand into a fist. _Teach. Me. Revali, I want to know how to use bows, please!_ I knew he would continue boasting, so I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began to write. Revali quirked his eyebrow in curiosity.

‘Revali, I’m sorry for interrupting you but I,’ I crossed the sentence out and tried again, ‘Revali, you’re amazing! Really, you are! If you don’t mind, would you teach me how to use a bow, please?’ Revali looked surprised, only for his expression to change into a scowl. He scoffed. He was about to rant, I could tell by the look on his face.

‘I already know what you are going to say. I don’t want to be better than you, Revali! I just want to be friends! I’m being honest, when I first saw you, there were only two things I wanted to say: I hope that he can teach me. I hope we can be friends.’ Revali stared at the piece of paper for several seconds. He looked embarrassed as he turned his gaze to the sky. He looked back at me and it seemed like he wanted to say something. He completely turned his back to me.

“Fine.” His smooth voice was a low whisper. He stared at the cloudless sky and sighed. His bravado and arrogance had vanished. Revali turned around and hopped off the railing. He handed me his bow. The bow was gray with white patterns painted on it, at the ends of the bow were small golden wings. The middle of the bow had a small wooden piece with white pieces on the ends of the wooden piece. A small light blue cloth was wrapped around the end of the bow. I smiled. _This bow kind of fits him._ I awkwardly held the bow in my hands. 

“Not like that,” He hissed at me. He walked towards me with a slight huff, “Put your right hand on that brown piece and hold the bow horizontally.” I did what he instructed and he moved his hand towards his beak to hide the smile that was forming on his face. 

“That is how you hold a bow,” I looked at him and he continued, “now you need an arrow.” The Rito took out an arrow from his quiver and gave it to me. With slight confusion, I placed the arrow in the middle of the bowstring. I glanced at Revali and he nodded.

“Shoot it.” _What?_ I slowly moved the bow vertically and aimed the bow above his head. I pulled the bowstring back and released the arrow. Revali squawked and narrowed his eyes at me. I gave him an apologetic look. 

 

“Good job, _Hero._ ” Unlike the many times he had called me that, he said those words earnestly. He usually spat the word Hero at me. I smiled at him. Our training had went on until the sunset had arrived. I had enjoyed every moment.

The third time I saw Revali was at his small and isolated room; late at night. There were no walls, like most of the tiny houses in Rito Village. The roof and floor were wooden. His room had a light green blanket and a small pillow in the center, in the corner of the circular room were several quivers with arrows in them and his bow; his Great Eagle Bow, he told me. He sat in another corner with a red glass bottle of alcohol. He was drunk. He glanced at me and blinked slowly. 

“I apologize.” His words were slurred. I knew that he wouldn’t understand sign language, so I took out a piece of paper and a pen.

‘For?’

He groaned and looked away, “I was foolish. I hid myself away from you with my ego. From my people.”

I sat down next to him, ‘It’s okay.’

“No,” there were a few minutes of silence as he tried to come up with something to say, “It isn’t. I became this egotistical, confident person to avoid others; to avoid thinking of the death of my parents. I sought to be a great archer, to prove something to myself and the village; the Rito had shunned me, after I lashed out and became unapproachable. I was never told that I was great, or amazing, so I had to pretend I was. Then,” he paused and stared at me, “I met you. I hated you. I was jealous of you. Before, all I saw was a fledgling that somehow, without any effort had gained the most powerful weapon of Hyrule; the Master Sword. I was angry; I had believed all that effort I put in was crushed as soon as you pulled out that sword. Now, now, it’s different.” He finished. _That’s why._ I smiled at him.

‘Hug?’

“What?”

‘Come here, Revs.’ His sullen face morphed into shock as I suddenly hugged him. My fingers briefly ran through his dark blue feathers. He closed his eyes and reopened them when I stopped. He gave me an annoyed look. I laughed. 

‘It’s stressful. I’m just a kid with a destiny I didn’t want. I have to save Hyrule, I have to stop Calamity Ganon. I might be this strong swordsman, or the Hero of Hyrule, in the legends, but I’m a kid, too. I’m glad, though. I got to meet wonderful people,’ I stared at Revali and poked him, he gave me a slight glare in response, ‘like you. When I think about it, we have some similarities, don’t you think?’ He read the words on the paper a few times and nodded. A few minutes later, he mumbled something to me.

“Link, teach me sign language.” He slurred before drifting off to sleep. 

‘Sure, Revali.’

Link woke up in a forest. Emerald Forest. He shut his eyes and held his head. He slammed his fist into the ground. He was both furious and terrified of himself. _Why?_


	13. Just A Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link's gone, both teams try and find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to try something a little different!
> 
> A text-fic chapter!

Link disappeared. The three members of RWBY, along with Professor Ozpin and JNPR had left the arena and walked outside. The light blue sky was concealed by thick gray clouds; it had begun to rain hard. Professor Ozpin checked his Scroll and sent a quick message. Yang glanced at Weiss and Blake before speaking.

“What the _hell_ was that?” She growled in fury. Blake and Weiss shared a look of confusion. 

“Should we go look for him?” Blake asked. 

Yang and Weiss immediately responded, “No!” Yang crossed her arms.

“He nearly killed my sister!” Her red eyes narrowed in anger.

“He is a lunatic.” Weiss quickly added. Professor Ozpin addressed the girls.

“Leaving Mr. Dorephan out there; wherever he is, would be much more dangerous.” Yang scoffed.

“Ozpin, letting him _stay_ here is dangerous!” Yang countered. Professor Ozpin drank from his mug before responding.

“Miss Xiao Long, would you rather keep a beast in a cage or let it run amok and cause disaster?” Yang scowled in response. Jaune spoke up next.

“Uh, I don’t think that Link is some kind of monster, Professor Ozpin.” Professor Ozpin smiled.

“I do not believe so, either, Mr. Arc. It was simply an analogy.” Jaune nodded in understanding. 

“I agree with Jaune. Perhaps, we only need to empathize with him.” Pyrrha said. Yang glared at her.

“Empathize with a _monster?_ Are you insane, Pyrrha?” Yang snarled at her. 

“Yang, breathe.” Blake said; keeping her eyes on her furious teammate. 

“You expect me to just _understand_ and _forgive_ him, like that? Ruby is in the hospital! He attacked all of us, without even thinking!” Yang practically roared in rage. 

“No, Yang. I wouldn’t forgive him, either, but we should at least look for him. Professor Ozpin is correct; who knows what may happen if this occurs again.” Weiss carefully added. Yang stared Weiss for a few seconds before sighing. 

“I guess.” She responded. With Yang attempting to calm herself down and her reluctant agreement, both teams and Professor Ozpin officially begun their search. 

“If _I_ was a possibly unstable boy, where would I be?” Nora asked.

“He could be anywhere, Nora.” Ren replied.

“We should split up,” Jaune suggested, “Yang, Blake and Weiss; you three should search the school. We could go to Emerald Forest. Also, make sure to text us if you see any signs of him.” The three girls blinked in shock. Jaune shrunk back.

“What?” He awkwardly asked.

“That is a rather good plan, we simply didn’t expect you to come up with that.” Weiss explained.

“Oh.” Jaune replied.

“Weiss, can’t you be a bit more appreciative? If we look for Link in Beacon, and can’t find him, that means he’ll avoid getting punched in the face, by me.” Weiss nodded in response. 

“We should go now.” Blake stated to both teams. There was a chorus of agreement before both teams went their separate ways; the three girls headed inside with their Scrolls open and team JNPR, including Professor Ozpin headed straight for Beacon Cliff. 

“Professor Ozpin, we aren’t going to travel by launch pads again, are we?” Ozpin ignored Jaune’s question and motioned for the four students to step on the launch pads.

“Do you see another way, Mr. Arc?” Jaune shook his head with a sigh. Ozpin took out his Scroll with a smile. He tapped his screen and the four students were sent into the sky. He heard Jaune scream something as he grasped Pyrrha’s hand. Team JNPR held hands as they were falling, until Pyrrha let go and fell into the forest. The four students landed into Emerald Forest.

JNPR walked through the forest; mindful of Grimm. It had been several minutes until their Scrolls buzzed. The four students opened their Scrolls and checked the texting app.

**Vomit Boy, Lie Ren, Thunder Goddess, and Pyrrha Nikos has entered Bacon Smaken.**

**angry dragon:** so we are currently checking the 1st floor.  
**angry dragon:** nuthing to report rn.  
**Ice Schnee:** So* Nothing* right now*  
**angry dragon:** weiss. weiss, no.  
**Ice Schnee:** It was bothering me.  
**angry dragon:** perfectionist.  
**Ice Schnee:** Brute.  
**Goth:** Guys. Stop it.  
**angry dragon:** no u.  
**Vomit Boy:** Are you guys still on the first floor?  
**Goth:** We we are on the 3rd floor. We knocked on a door and heard chirping.  
**Goth:** _Goth sent Linksdoor?.jpg_  
**Thunder Goddess:** YEAAAAAAAAAH! Link has his brid pal. You fnd his dorp.  
**Ice Schnee:** Typos, everywhere. Bird* found* dorm*  
**Lie Ren:** Nora, are you alright? 

**Thunder Goddess has set the nickname for Lie Ren to Pancake Maker.**  
**Thunder Goddess:** Yep! 

The team pocketed their Scrolls and kept walking. Jaune sighed before addressing his team, “What do you guys think about this?” 

“The weapon he had in his hands must have been significant to him.” Ren supplied. Nora nodded and for once, she wasn’t hyperactive.

“When it broke, he did, too.” Nora continued Ren’s sentence with a somber look in her eyes.

“Truthfully, I believe that Link, although in a morally incorrect method, taught Cardin a lesson,” Pyrrha paused, “with a price.” Jaune nodded as he strolled through the forest. It felt like hours as they struggled to find the missing student. They ran into and defeated several Grimm along the way. 

“Wait,” Pyrrha looked around as the Grimm dissolved into mist, “There are a lot of Grimm in the surrounding area. Perhaps we should alert RWBY or Professor Ozpin?”

Jaune responded, “This could mean Link is close by, though!” Pyrrha glanced at Jaune before nodding. Pyrrha took out her Scroll and opened it again.

 **angry dragon has changed their nickname to Pun Master.**  
**Pun Master:** no sight of sister-beater on any of the floors.  
**Goth:** Really, Yang?  
**Pun Master:** yes.  
**Pyrrha Nikos:** I don’t mean to interrupt, but we have discovered an unusual amount of Grimm in Emerald Forest.  
**Pun Master:** wuh oh, what if lonk is gonna be eaten???  
**Ice Schnee:** Be careful, Pyrrha. Also Yang, stop. 

As the team continued onwards, they heard whistling. The four students slowly walked and hid by a nearby large tree. The four teenagers directed their eyes to the sound. They found Link sitting against a tree; his hair clung to his face due to the rain and his clothes were drenched. In his hands, he held a whistle made out of grass near his lips. The song he played started off slow, it sounded melancholic, gentle and hopeless. When the song ended, he stared up into the gray sky and sighed. He let go of the grass whistle and hummed another song; it had a much faster tempo. His hair turned dark red and his eyes were golden. He softly began to sing.

 _“When did I get these memories? These big ones I can’t remember? Out of what I can’t recall, there’s one thing I remember pretty well.”_ The members of JNPR stared at each other as Link continued. 

_“Try one more time, a hundred times. All I remember is your nameless face. And yet you yourself, I’m not sure why, but I still can’t remember you.”_ Link’s hair and eyes changed into a deep blue and bright green, respectively. 

_“The belt line wraps the globe. Going ‘round to chase the morning sun, but we don’t need to run its rails; we follow our desire and chase the night.”_

_“Try one more time, a thousand times. All I remember is your nameless face. Light rain settles on my eyelids, and I still can’t hear that dead, dark voice.”_ Jaune noticed that Urbosa sang next.

 _“Not knowing anything at all, well, that won’t hurt you - will it? It makes me unable to sleep even still. And if you found out, I bet you’d laugh.”_ His hair and eyes went back to dark red and gold.

 _“When I’d try to count all of these simple feelings. I’d find I forgot even the warmth you shared with me. Goodbye, my dear friends; we’ll never meet again. That’s just the feeling I-”_ His voice had cracked as he started sobbing. Jaune attempted to walk forward without making too much noise, but failed as Link’s eyes instantly darted to the sound of Jaune’s footsteps. Link was terrified. Jaune waved to him and Link shrunk back while shaking his head. He was frantically looking around and hyperventilating. His appearance went back to normal. JNPR noticed and heard the howling and growling of the Grimm, nearby. Nora gave Ren a look before he calmly walked towards the petrified boy and crouched down. Ren reached out and lightly grabbed Link’s hand for a few seconds. The boy visibly relaxed. Jaune sent a quick text to the group chat before helping Link up. The team and Link walked through the forest in silence. It took awhile until they returned to Beacon Academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I knew how to change the font here.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chap!


	14. Cause and Effects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is in trouble. He meets two more people.

Link stared at the ceiling of his dorm room with a sigh. He tried to connect the missing pieces of events from yesterday. _Cardin stole Button, Cardin fought me. He broke Mipha’s weapon. What happened after that?_ He could barely think of anything; only dread and anger filled his stomach. He remembered being on the stage floor, face to face with a vengeful and wrathful Yang. The look on her face scared him. She wasn’t just upset or angry; like a few days ago, when she beat him down into the ground. She seemed consumed in pure bloodlust. He had a faint idea why as he glanced at Ruby, covered in blood and laying on the floor, motionless. He had escaped. _How and why did the Sheikah Slate suddenly work? There aren’t any shrines to teleport to, though. Maybe it’s tied to my emotions? Nah, that’s too cheap and stupid._ He sighed as he heard Button chirp. _Button is safe and sound, at least._ Button hopped and chirped to get Link’s attention. The boy had a soft, but troubled smile on his face. Button chirped louder. Link slowly turned away from his rather noisy companion and narrowed his eyes in thought. The more he tried to remember, the more horrible he felt. He was starting to get a painful headache. There was just a huge chunk of information he was missing and it bothered him. Memory loss is something he didn’t want to deal with again. Forcing himself, despite the pain in his head, he tried again. He gasped in pain and nearly fell off his bed. _The world is upside down, cool._ Button gave him a concerned look and hopped onto his head. 

His Scroll buzzed. Link grabbed his Scroll and opened it to see a picture of Ozpin and two translucent buttons. On the left was a light green button and on the right was a red button. Link tapped the green button in slight confusion. As soon as he tapped the button, he heard Ozpin’s voice.

“Good morning, Mr. Dorephan. Due to yesterday’s events, I’d like for you to visit my office,” there was a loud shout of dismay and annoyance that Link could barely catch; something about being drunk, “We have plenty of things to discuss.” _He sounds, normal? But it’s about yesterday. Why isn’t he alarmed or worried? Why is he so calm?_

“Mr. Dorephan? Rest assured, you are not quite in trouble. Goodbye.” The call ended. Link realized Ozpin didn’t remind him where his office was, but Link luckily remembered how to get there. Link got up and grabbed his bag while making his way out the door. As he walked through the halls, he received terrified glances from several students. _I must have done something really bad._ He walked downstairs and faced the elevator. He pressed the button and the elevator door opened. He stepped inside. With the _Ride of Horror,_ over, the elevator door opened to reveal two familiar faces; Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch, and two other unfamiliar faces. Link stepped into Ozpin’s office. He turned to the person on Ozpin’s right. The man had graying spiky black hair, seemingly brown; almost dull red eyes, and slight stubble along his jawline. Aside from a tattered red cloak, he wore a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants and black dress shoes. He wore a silver ring on his right index finger, two rings on his right ring finger and a crooked cross-shaped pendant. On his back was a collapsible sword. He also had a dark brown flask in his left hand. The man glared at Link. _Oh, come on! This is the second time where someone who looks cool instantly hates me. Even his weapon looks cool, no! No! Why? What did I do?_ Link looked at Ozpin, then to the man. 

‘Professor Ozpin, who is that? I need to know.’ Ozpin rose an eyebrow and sipped from his mug, he glanced at the man before replying.

“This, is Qrow Branwen, a long time friend of mine.” _Qrow? That sounds like Crow. What?_  
‘Crow?’

Ozpin smiled, “Replace the ‘C’ with a ‘Q’.” Link looked at Ozpin in confusion and grimaced at Qrow.

‘Qow? That’s his name? Qow? It would be very interesting if his favorite animal was a crow, though.’ Ozpin laughed softly. Qrow glanced at him with an eyebrow raised. Ozpin then, translated. Qrow burst out laughing before regaining his composure. 

“Qow, huh,” He asked with a smirk on his face, his voice was rough and gravelly. Link nodded, “I would have liked you if you didn’t send my niece to the hospital.” His glare was back on his face. _Wait, what? Niece? Oh. Ruby? Oh no. Oh. Uh. Ah, that’s bad._ Link frantically looked at Ozpin and Qrow in fear. Dread and terror was crawling around his mind. 

_I don’t want to know, anymore. I don’t want to!_ Link was panicking; he couldn’t breathe, he didn’t want to try, either. He heard a sigh; it sounded far away. Link was brought out of his panic when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, it was Qrow. His dull red eyes held sympathy.

“Listen, kid, while I am _pissed,_ I’m not going to outright murder you. A fight, yeah. You see, I’m not too big on brutally murdering a kid,” Link blinked several times before laughing. That’s one way to reassure someone. Qrow looked unimpressed as he continued, “Can’t I have some brownie points for calming a kid down? Sheesh, harsh world.” _Oh Hylia, I love him. Are we somewhat okay, now? Maybe?_ Qrow removed his hand, placing it in his pocket. He seemed to be thinking about something. 

Link stared at Qrow before pointing at the weapon on his back. Qrow’s thoughtful expression faltered, changing into a dubious look. He seemed to understand what Link wanted, so he shrugged and handed the weapon to the curious boy. 

_Woah._ Link tilted his head in confusion as he peered at the heavy weapon in his hands. He looked over to the red hilt; above it was an inactive clockwork mechanism. When Link accidentally pressed a button while grabbing onto the hilt, the weapon began making odd clicking sounds before it morphed into a large sword. _Woah!_ The weapon was now a single edged greatsword with a pair of shotgun barrels on either side of the blade. He nearly dropped it in surprise. Link carefully grabbed the hilt with two hands and swung the large sword. It made several clicking and ratcheting sounds as Link swung the weapon. He slowly spun the weapon in a circle before quickly rotating the weapon and his body. He smiled. He pressed the button again, and the blade split into sections and folded backwards, curving into a scythe as the clockwork mechanism began to move. Link blinked before trying to hold it. It nearly slipped from his hands until he tightly gripped the handle. Unable to understand how to use it, the boy experimented. First, he heaved it over his head and bent his arms backwards. He pulled his arms forward and watched as the scythe crash down into the floor. Next, he spun in a circle and nearly let go of the weapon. He tried to twirl the scythe in his hands and slashed it vertically. The boy sheepishly handed Qrow his weapon back. He realized that the four adults in the room stared at him, clearly impressed. Once Ozpin saw the confusion written on Link’s face, he explained.

“For a young man, such as yourself to virtually wield such a deadly weapon with ease, is quite impressive.” _Ease? I nearly dropped the thing!_ Link looked away, praise still wasn’t a thing he could get used to. The man to Ozpin’s left spoke up. The man wore a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, a black sweater, a dark red necktie and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants were the same color as his overcoat and it was tucked into silver boots accented in gray. His hair was black with gray and silver areas on the sides, his eyebrows were black. Above his right eyebrow was a small strip of metal. He had blue eyes. 

“I agree, Ozpin. This young man would be an excellent fit in the Atlas military.” _What?_ Ozpin bristled at that, while Qrow glared at him and responded.

“Jimmy, shut up.” The man in white glared back at Qrow. 

“My name is _James._ ” 

“ _Jimmy,_ now isn’t the time to push a draft on this kid.” Qrow sharply responded. Ms. Goodwitch pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. 

“Ironwood, Branwen, stop acting like children. Instead of bickering, why don’t we focus on something _more_ important?” Ms. Goodwitch stared at Link. He sighed as his shoulders slumped. Link looked away and reluctantly nodded. Ms. Goodwitch grabbed her Scroll and pulled the grips apart. She faced it towards Link as a video began to play. Link heard his own agonizing screams from the video, as a ball of darkness formed around him. Link stared at the monster as it brutally attacked Cardin. Link flinched at the sound of Cardin’s pleas and screams. Then, the camera in the video quickly panned to Ruby and her team. Ruby’s words cut through Link’s heart. 

“Link, wake up! Link, please.” Link took a step back. He immediately thought of Zelda’s first words to him. He shook his head.

The video got worse. The monster that Link transformed into nearly executed the young girl. Link felt sick. He covered his mouth with his left hand. His mind was a mess, his heartbeat sounded loud in his long ears. He felt lightheaded. He grasped at his shirt with his right hand. Ms. Goodwitch noticed his horrified expression and instantly stopped the video. The four adults gave him a moment to attempt calming down. Link let out a shaky exhale as he looked at each adult. Qrow clenched his hand into a fist with a dark expression on his face; it broke as Qrow stared back with sympathy. Ozpin looked calm. Ms. Goodwitch had a troubled look in her green eyes, while Ironwood didn’t seem to react. 

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry for,’ Link paused to wipe the tears already forming in his eyes, ‘hurting, no, nearly _slaughtering_ those two. I snapped. I-’ Ozpin translated as Link signed, and was interrupted by Ironwood.

“An apology won’t be acceptable, an answer will.” Qrow’s glare were like daggers. 

“James, are you kidding me? As much as I would _appreciate_ a damn explanation, I wouldn’t cut straight to the point like _you._ Let the kid say whatever he wants to.” 

“Unlike you, I don’t waste my time, I prefer-” Ironwood was promptly cut off by a look from Ozpin. Ozpin glanced at Link.

‘I’m not sure what _that_ was. I only know why I snapped like that, it’s because of the weapon I had. It wasn’t mine. It belonged to my lover who had passed away. If it helps you, Qrow, we can have that fight right now.’ Everyone fell silent. After a few moments, Ozpin spoke up. 

“I apologize for your loss. As I said before, you aren’t in trouble. There is a reason to apologize to certain people, yes, however, you do not need to beg me for forgiveness. Despite the way you wreaked havoc among our students, staff, and quite possibly the entirety of Vale, you are a strong warrior at heart, so I have decided that your first mission will be in a month.” What? Link looked at Ozpin, completely dumbfounded. Link slowly nodded in confusion. _He isn’t angry? That makes no sense but alright?_ Qrow suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, Oz, I can fight him, now, right?” Ozpin sipped from his mug before nodding. Qrow cheered like a child, while Ms. Goodwitch shook her head.

“Ozpin, why do you allow Qrow’s childish behavior to continue?” She glanced at Ozpin as he smiled.

“It is quite entertaining.” Ms. Goodwitch sighed. 

_Daruk!_ Daruk went into a fighting stance as Qrow did the same. Qrow dashed towards Daruk as the scythe changed into a greatsword. The man easily slashed his sword at Daruk with one hand. Daruk blocked the hit and quickly grabbed a random two-handed sword from his bag. He held the weapon in one hand as he swung his sword. Qrow intercepted the blow with his own sword; causing a small spark. Somehow, Qrow managed to overpower Daruk as his grip on the hilt slipped. Daruk looked confused as Qrow smirked at him. Daruk tightened his grip on the hilt and slashed horizontally. Qrow jumped back before Daruk’s sword could hit him. _Urbosa, go!_ Urbosa smiled at Qrow before snapping her fingers. Electricity flowed from her eyes, hands and her weapon. She unleashed electricity as she swung the weapon; shocking Qrow. _Release! Daruk!_ Daruk delivered a hard punch to Qrow’s stomach and watched as Qrow crashed through the semi circle window; that also served as a clock. Shards of glass were falling from the broken window. Daruk activated his orange shield as he ran through the window. _Release! Revali!_ Revali sharply flew downwards to catch Qrow, to his surprise, the man changed his weapon into a scythe and performed a slash that Revali could barely see. Even though Qrow was falling, his scythe managed to hit Revali hard. 

_“What are you doing, you idiot?”_ Revali hissed at the man. Revali scowled as Qrow laughed in response. Sighing, Revali swapped the sword for a bow and began to rapidly shoot bomb arrows at him. Qrow blocked each and every arrow by quickly twirling his scythe. The connection between Revali and Link was abruptly severed. Link was falling, fast. Link drawn his bow and shot several more bomb arrows at Qrow and hissed in slight annoyance when they somehow all missed their target. _What is going on? I don’t want to accuse Qow of anything, but is he doing this?_ The boy pocketed his bow and replaced it with his two-handed sword. Qrow changed his weapon back into a greatsword and the two shotgun barrels were raised up. Qrow began shooting at him. Link tried his best to block. Qrow didn’t bother reloading, so he slashed at Link’s chest. Link retaliated by swinging his own sword; they began a series of clashes and strikes while falling. At one point, without warning, Link’s sword broke into pieces. _It wasn’t even damaged! What is happening?_

“Oops, sorry.” Qrow said, sounding unapologetic. Link glowered at him. _Revali!_ Revali’s possession over Link’s body was delayed. Revali began to fly near the rooftop of the school dorms. Qrow suddenly transformed into a crow and trailed Revali until he landed on the rooftop. 

_‘What happened?’_

_I don’t know, Revs. Release._ Link grabbed a Great Flameblade from his bag as Qrow turned back into a human. He swung his sword as Qrow slashed his own; flames erupted from the weapon. Qrow pushed his bangs back before he spoke. 

“You wanna call it a draw, kid?” Link shook his head as he struck the man with his weapon, yet again, Qrow blocked it and jumped away. The man changed his greatsword into a scythe and ran towards Link. Qrow quickly slashed his scythe horizontally and caught the boy in between the blade and the pole. The man swung his weapon hard, causing Link to fall and skid across the roof. Link got up and replaced his sword with his bow. He shot several shock arrows and Qrow dodged each one. Giving up on shooting arrows, Link replaced his bow with his sword. Link sprinted towards the man and slashed again. Qrow dodged and quickly retaliated by lazily swinging his scythe. Link dodged just before the scythe could hit him, and time slowed. Link instantly took this chance and replaced his Great Flameblade with a Savage Lynel Crusher. He repeatedly bashed the man with the massive weapon. Time flowed naturally and Link was shocked to find Qrow still standing. The man slouched while wiping blood from his mouth. Qrow slashed his scythe at Link, then raised his arms, letting the weapon crash down onto the roof; hitting Link. _Daruk!_ Daruk held his weapon in his right hand as he brought his hand down and swung the Savage Lynel Crusher into Qrow’s chest. Qrow was knocked down. Daruk replaced the two-handed weapon with the Great Flameblade and swung. Qrow quickly got up and slashed his scythe once more. Daruk blocked it, and was in disbelief as the weapon cut the Great Flameblade in half. _What? Release._ Dumbfounded, Link held his hand up in surrender. He shot Qrow a look. 

“What, I didn’t do anything,” he paused to retract his weapon and place it on his back, Link glared at him, “Okay, I _might_ have done something.” Link laughed at Qrow. There was a moment of silence before Qrow spoke up again.

“Link, don’t cause anymore trouble, I’m not threatening you, I’m _warning_ you. If something like this happens again, word might travel to the wrong people and they will hunt you down no matter how strong or young you are. Be careful.” His playful and mischievous tone was replaced with seriousness. Link firmly nodded. A few seconds later, they were alerted by the sound of two distinct voices. Qrow rose his eyebrow as he stared at Link. He mouthed the words, “Uh oh.” Link agreed with those words as he stared at the two familiar girls walking out of the building below them.

“I’m telling you, Weiss, I heard a crash.” 

“Your hearing cannot be _that_ good, Yang.” 

The world froze when Yang looked up and locked eyes with Link. Yang’s lilac eyes instantly turned blood red.


	15. A Dragon's Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link gets smacked down by Yang, again.

Yang snarled as she launched herself in the air and slammed down onto the roof. Her face was red in pure rage and her hair was glowing brightly. _I deserve it, right?_

“Yang, I already did your job for you.” Qrow attempted to distract her. Yang growled at Qrow and immediately punched him hard in the chest. Even though Qrow expected to be hit, he was sent flying off the roof and fell into a dumpster. Link looked down to check on the man and noticed several crows had flocked around the dumpster and Qrow. He sighed before jumping out. Weiss summoned a black glyph below her feet and launched herself into the air, she summoned another to join Yang on the roof. Link sighed. Yang pulled her arm back and dashed towards Link; punching him square in the face. Link didn’t bother to dodge as Yang repeatedly slammed her fist into the boy’s chest. Link was sent to ground and Yang crouched down and aimed her right arm to Link’s face. She fired several explosive shots in point blank range, then got up. 

“If you think I’ll ever forgive you for hurting my sister, you’re _wrong!_ You better fight back, and stop running!” She yelled at him. Link slowly got up and put his hands up. Yang glared at the boy before running up to him while firing missiles. He chose to stay still. She got behind him and delivered a strong right hook to Link’s back. He fell onto the ground again. Yang scoffed and roughly grabbed Link’s head and repeatedly slammed it into the roof.

“Get up, I believe you can do that, right?” Yang released the death grip she had on his head and backed up. Link slowly got up, slightly disoriented. Yang seethed as she waited for Link to do something. Link continued to stand for a few moments before Yang continued her assault; delivering uppercuts and hooks to various parts of Link’s body. Weiss’ voice prompted Yang to briefly stop. 

“Yang, give up! He isn’t going to fight back, so this will be a fruitless endeavor!” 

“He deserves this! If he fights back, it’s just a bonus.” Yang nearly screamed. Weiss stared at Link then to Yang. Weiss stood in front of Yang to stop her. 

“Get. Out. Of. My. _Way._ ” She spat out. Weiss faltered before regaining her composure. 

“No, Yang. Taking revenge isn’t _right!_ ” 

Yang growled at her, “You’re not the one with a sister in the hospital!” She sidestepped away from Weiss and walked towards Link. She attacked Link. Button, sparked with bravery and a need to defend Link, flew in front of Yang and pecked her. Yang hit Button hard with the back of her hand. The little bird was sent careening to the floor. Link gasped before rushing towards Button. He gently cupped the bird in his hands and lightly pet his head. _Mipha! Will Button be okay?_

 _‘His left wing is broken, other than that injury, he is fine.’_

_Heal him, please?_ Mipha’s hands began to softly glow light green. The bird’s wing was reforming. Button flapped his left wing and stared at Mipha with a curious look. He chirped. _Thank you, Mipha. Release. Revali._ Revali looked at Button for a few seconds before chirping to him. Button chirped back and flew down to Qrow. _Release._ Link glared at Yang. The boy glanced at his hand. His fingertips were beginning to turn ashen gray. Link hissed under his breath. Yang noticed this.

“What, are you gonna go psycho on me, too?” Link ignored her and drawn his bow. He nocked a bomb arrow and let it fly. Yang dodged and leapt into the air, only to quickly crash down and slam her fist into Link’s face. _Daruk._ Daruk placed his bow on his back and instantly punched her. The force of Daruk’s punch caused Yang to tumble across the roof. Yang got up with a grunt. She launched herself forward and rapidly punched Daruk while firing a few missiles in between punches. Daruk countered her attacks by slamming his fist against hers. Daruk heard a crack. Daruk grabbed his Sheikah Slate and tapped the Stasis+ icon. He aimed the tablet at her while trying to dodge her flurry of punches and bullets. Daruk tapped the screen again and Yang was stopped in her tracks. With an angry expression on his face, Daruk grabbed his Savage Lynel Crusher from his bag and bashed the heavy weapon into Yang’s sides and chest. Daruk jumped back as Stasis+ wore off. Yang was bleeding, but didn’t seem to care as she rushed towards him with her arm pulled back. She unleashed a devastating right hook at Daruk’s stomach and Daruk coughed up blood as he was sent flying. He grasped at the roof to avoid falling off. His fingernails scratched at the gravel on the roof. The tips of his fingers were bleeding. 

Everything was bleeding. Daruk clutched his stomach as he continued to spit out blood. He glanced at Yang; she was still consumed with fury. 

Weiss’ Scroll was ringing. She accepted the call and Ruby’s voice was heard.

“Uh, hey Weiss!”

“Hello Ruby, how are you?”

“I’m alright! The nurse gave me cookies! Oh, yeah, I’ll be leaving the hospital in a few days, I can’t wait to see you guys.” 

“That’s _great,_ Ruby.” Weiss sounded pained as Yang walked over to Daruk and bent down. Weiss’ eyes darted to Daruk then to Yang. 

“What’s wrong, Weiss?” Weiss looked at her Scroll and sighed.

“Yang is. She is currently exacting her revenge at eight in the morning.” Weiss sounded both fearful and miffed. 

“Yang, stop! I know Link didn’t mean to hurt me, don’t fight him! Please, Yang.” Yang bristled. She looked conflicted as her eyes flickered to the Scroll in Weiss’ hands and to Daruk. Her bright red eyes slowly changed back into lilac; and her hair returned to its normal state. She stood up and made her way towards Weiss.

“You already used that excuse last time, Ruby!”

“It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth!”

“He almost _killed_ you!”

“ _Almost._ ” 

“If I didn’t beat him into the ground, he would have continued to attack us! Or maybe, just maybe, he’d kill us all without a second thought. Would you forgive him if he knocked me out, if I was the one in the hospital?” Yang snarled as her eyes flashed red. There was a moment of silence until Ruby’s sobs were heard from Weiss’ Scroll. Yang frowned.

“I don’t know, Yang!” She sniffled. Yang sighed; she finally relented.

“Just for you, Ruby, I’ll stop.” 

“Good! Now, apologize,” Yang sputtered in disbelief, “As the leader of RWBY, I order you to say sorry!” Ruby’s high pitched voice rang out. The blonde girl walked over to the bleeding Daruk and crossed her arms. 

“I’m sorry.” Yang placed her hands on her hips as she shifted her weight. She sounded somewhat genuine. Daruk simply nodded. Ruby cheered. After catching up with Ruby, Weiss hung up.

“Ruby said that she wants to do something special with us _and_ Link.” Weiss said; sounding firm. Yang stared at Weiss for a few moments before slowly nodding. 

The trio eventually returned to their dorm rooms. A few weeks had passed.

Link’s Scroll had begun to buzz. He lazily opened the grips and saw a picture of Ruby on the screen. He sighed as he got up from his bed. Link placed Button on his head before heading out. After walking down a flight of stairs, he reached RWBY’s dorm. The door opened as soon as Link knocked. Ruby brightly smiled at him; her smile bothered him. Link stepped inside and was surprised to see a small makeshift table with a large plate of chocolate chip cookies, coffee and tea. Blake was sitting near the table, while Yang and Weiss sat on their beds. Blake had a green teacup in her hands and Weiss was munching on a cookie. The three girls greeted Link; Yang glanced at him. Ruby spoke up; fiddling with her hands. 

“Link, I know it wasn’t your fault, okay?” Link shook his head as tears formed from his eyes. He tried to wipe them away. _Ruby shouldn’t be so forgiving. I was the one who made the great decision of continuing the fight. I was the one that attacked Cardin and her._

“Link, Link! It’s okay, I’m okay,” Ruby hugged Link, “We just hit a huge bump in the road, that’s all.” Link wasn’t convinced but he nodded, anyway. Ruby removed her arms from Link’s sides and cleared her throat. She grinned.

“Okay! Let’s get this party started.” Ruby cheered. Link tried to smile as he took a cookie from the plate. He took a bite and instantly closed his eyes. _The cookie is really good._ After devouring the cookie, he crouched down and glanced around the room; he made a show of swiping several cookies off the plate and grinned as he feasted on his loot. Ruby laughed at him. Out of nowhere, a large book had crashed down onto the floor. Link jumped back and nearly dropped his cookies. Weiss got up from her bed and stared at Link; she picked up the book. 

“Are you illiterate? I apologize if I was too blunt, but I noticed that you write strangely, so I’d like to help you understand our language.” Link blinked before nodding. For several minutes, Weiss went through the Remnant alphabet; multiple times; she meticulously pronounced and wrote down each letter and instructed the boy to write or spell out a couple of letters and words. Weiss showed and voiced a three letter word, Link blinked as he tried to write the word in their written language. 

“It’s ‘E-Y-E’ not ‘Ewe’, you dunce!” Weiss hissed. A few minutes had turned into an hour, and Link had a small but better understanding of the language. Weiss smiled at the progress he made. He managed to write his name, and RWBY’s; he was able to write a short sentence with Weiss’ help. With the lesson finished, Weiss returned to her bed and Blake took out two small books; one was a light green while the other was black. She handed the books to Link. The cover of the black book was labeled _Fate,_ it had a photo of a large tree with a white silhouette of a person leaning against it. The light green book was labeled _How to Read and Write: Part 1._ Link placed the light green book in his bag and curiously peered at the _Fate_ book. Blake explained what is was about.

“ _Fate_ is about a boy who is forced to save a dying world. It’s loosely based on a ten century old fairytale.” Link looked very interested. He took out a piece of paper and a pencil.

‘Let’s read?’ Blake had a small smile on her face as she replied.

“Sure.” Link sat down next to Blake and opened the book to the first page. She quietly began to read out loud to him. Link instantly took a liking to the nameless main character and his four companions. The character was mostly one-dimensional, but the boy’s motivations and actions were quite relatable. The four other characters were interesting individuals. They never once stated their real names; instead they used aliases, a single letter for each person. The four struggled with their morality and keeping their vibrant personalities intact during the course of the story. Sadly, the four were killed off and replaced with a young girl under the alias ‘Deity’. Deity and the main character had saved the world, with a price. The main character gave up his life to restore the state of world. Once they finished the book, Link put the book in his bag. 

‘It’s sad.’ 

“Yeah, but it’s a good book.” Link nodded. 

It was getting a bit late, so Link said his goodbyes and headed to his dorm. Once he entered his dorm room he sat on his bed with a sigh.


	16. Curiosity Killed the Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link runs into an angry Blake, and is swept into an unofficial mission.

Link grinned softly to himself as he smelled freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Even though Link was a rather great cook, it took hours to make perfect and yummy cookies. Several cookies had the names of both teams on them. He wanted to repay the girls and Jaune’s team for their kindness and acceptance. Button stared curiously at the batch of cookies and flew towards it. The little bird attempted to fly away with one, but was stopped by Link’s disapproving stare. Link placed the first batch of cookies in a small brown basket with red, white, black and yellow strings tied near the handle. He then placed the other batch of cookies in a white basket with green, orange, yellow and red strings wrapped around the basket. Link picked up the two baskets in one hand and walked towards the door. He waved Button goodbye before opening the door and walking out. He walked downstairs and knocked on JNPR’s door. The door opened and Jaune waved at him. The boy glanced at the basket of cookies then to Link. Link smiled as he gave the basket to JNPR’s team leader. Jaune thanked Link, and the boy turned to RWBY’s dorm. As Link knocked on their door, Blake abruptly dashed out and pushed past the boy. A few cookies had fallen out. Link looked confused as he stared at an angry Weiss. She sharply spoke to the boy. 

“Blake lied to us. She hid her identity from her teammates, and now she ran away.” She snarled. Link placed his hand on his chin. _I guess you can say, the cat’s outta the bag? That is if she is a cat, though._ He took out a piece of paper and a pen. 

‘I’ll find her.’ Weiss crossed her arms and scoffed. Her angry expression didn’t break. She shooed the boy and Link began to run through the halls to find Blake. He drank a speed potion and zoomed through the first floor. He thought he saw Blake making a sharp turn, so he ran after her. He didn’t find her but he stopped at the large doors and pushed them open. He found her standing a few feet away. Her head snapped towards the sound of the door. She looked sullen and hurt before her expression shifted into a nasty scowl. 

“I’m not going back! They don’t understand; she doesn’t understand. No person, no _human_ understands how discriminatory they can be; how hard it is to be a faunus. They instantly think we are animals! They misjudge the White Fang for mongrels, criminals. I have to hide in this horrible and unjust world because no one would think of me as an equal! Don’t you dare try bringing me back, or telling me you understand my struggle, the faunus’ struggle!” Blake nearly screamed in frustration and anger. 

Link stared at the girl for a few seconds before writing, ‘I get you.’

“You _don’t!_ ” She hissed at Link. He sighed before calling upon Mipha, his appearance changed. Mipha frowned at the girl as she spoke. 

_“I do, I have been discriminated against. After losing someone important, the older townspeople hated me, in fact, there was a person called Muzu, who strongly disliked the faunus, especially me. Anyway, I won’t bring you back, but I will join you for tonight. You seem like you’re planning something.”_ There was a mix of a gentle and raspy voice. _Release._ Blake looked unsure for a moment before nodding. She slowly removed the large black bow from her head, revealing a pair of black cat ears that were pinned down. She looked at Beacon Academy with a tearful expression on her face before staring forward. She was startled by the swift appearance of a boy. 

The boy had tan skin with short spiky light blonde hair and dark gray eyes. He wore two red wrist bracers over black fingerless gloves and an open loose collared white jacket with no shirt underneath. He also wore blue cargo pants with a white belt. He wore white bandages on his legs and had a chain hanging from the belt loop on the right side of his pants. He wore black and yellow sneakers and a golden necklace. He had a monkey tail which was the same color as his hair. He greeted Blake with a smile as he spoke.

“I knew you’d look better without the bow.” The mysterious boy glanced at Link and instantly took a step in front of Blake; trying to protect her. He glared at Link. 

“You’re the guy who beat up that Cardin guy and RWBY, huh?” _‘Beat up’ would be a severe understatement._ Link awkwardly shifted as he avoided the boy’s gaze. He remembered what Ozpin said a few weeks ago, that Vale knew of his near massacre. _If Remnant is the world, then Vale is an area? A country? How come that video wasn’t released to the world? Did Ozpin prevent that from happening?_ He slowly nodded. The boy glanced at Blake then to Link as he whispered. 

“Should we trust him, or what?” Blake shot him an annoyed look as she started walking. The two boys quickly followed suit. The boy with the tail continued to stare at Link with uncertainty until he spoke up. 

“Look, I just have to know if you aren’t some bad guy, then we’ll be cool.” Link looked at the night sky. The shattered moon continued to remind him that he wasn’t in Hyrule. He glanced at the boy and wrote.

‘I’m not bad, I just-’ Link crossed out the last two words. He sighed. The boy blinked as a grin formed on his face. 

“Great! I’m Sun Wukong, nice to meet you.” The boy, Sun announced loudly. Link was shocked at the boy’s shift in behavior. 

‘Link.’ 

“Nice name! Well guys, let’s do something fun, like stealing some bananas or old carnival stuff.” Blake glanced at him with annoyance as Link shook his head. Link wasn’t a huge fan of bananas or theft, but adventuring was something he could get behind, so he lightly tapped Sun’s shoulder to get his attention

‘Fun.’ Sun grinned at him. Blake looked at the boys in dismay. The trio eventually left Beacon Academy and entered a new area. The area had a large amount of shops and large house-like buildings. The roofs of these buildings were primarily gray, while the exterior walls varied in color; some were dark brown, white, pale green or gray. The windows were either casement styled or crossed. There were very few lights coming from the windows. The sidewalks were paved with smooth concrete. There were several holographic lamp posts on the sidewalks. The roads were made of asphalt. Link stared at the many buildings, shops and roads in awe. His eyes widened as his mouth slightly hung open. The boy never saw a place like this before. Sun chuckled at Link’s amazed expression while Blake smiled. Link looked sheepish. A few minutes had passed as the trio aimlessly wandered around, Link noticed that Blake would frequently glance at Sun. The boy caught her and winked at her. He playfully bumped into Blake as she blushed. Link’s calm expression faltered, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Link already knew that those two were attracted to each other, most people would be happy for them, but he wasn’t. He felt sick. Bitter. He couldn’t smile genuinely. Thinking about love hurt him. 

Link shook his head. He shouldn’t feel this way. The boy sighed. The trio continued walking through the empty sidewalks. He wondered if any of the shops were open but he didn’t ask the two teenagers. It took several minutes of wandering to reach their destination. The trio came across a large silver gate with rusted chains and a padlock. Sun stared at Blake and Link with a grin. 

“Let’s have fun!” Blake immediately shot his request down.

“Let’s do something _important,_ ” Sun looked at her with confusion, “Like investigating the recent string of Dust robberies.”

“Why?” Blake didn’t answer him. Sun glanced at Link with a clueless expression while shrugging. Link shrugged back. Sun messed with the lock, but couldn’t get it to unlock or break, so he grabbed onto the chain and simply broke it apart. Blake and Link owlishly stared at the boy. Sun laughed. He gently pushed the gate; it made a creaking sound. Sun casually walked forward. Link and Blake shared a look before reluctantly heading inside. It was late at night, so there was absolutely no one here. Everything was silent. Link could see many rides and attractions. He saw a large ferris wheel in the distance. He was both sad and excited to see these things. The other teenagers didn’t pay attention to him as Sun noticed something and dragged Blake with him. The trio found some kind of game. There was a mass amount of plushies; some were big or small, and some were brightly colored, hooked onto a large metal rack. There were several small green balls on the side with different sized rings on a blue inclined lane. The rings were labeled with numbers. Sun spotted two plushies and grinned. He jumped onto the lane and grabbed one of the plushies. The plushie in his hand was a small yellow monkey with black buttons for eyes and a thin pink line for a mouth. The face, stomach and hands were beige. The boy jumped off and walked towards Blake with a smile on his face. He handed the monkey plushie to her and the girl blushed. Blake had a soft smile on her face as she spoke.

“Thank you, Sun.”

“You’re welcome! Whatcha gonna name the little guy?” Blake thought for a moment. She blushed. 

“Wu.” She mumbled. Sun grinned. The boy jumped onto the platform again, only to be glared at by Blake. He jumped off while sticking his tongue out. Sun grabbed one of the green balls and pulled his arm back. He swung his arm forward and let go of the ball. The ball rolled until it hit an increased incline and landed into a small ring. Sun smiled to himself as he grabbed two more plushies. The one in his right hand was a black cat with a purple ribbon tied around its neck. It had yellow plastic eyes. The plush in his left hand was a round bird with a light blue stomach and a gray head. It had a pink beak with small black buttons for eyes. Sun handed the bird plushie to Link. Link smiled at the soft bird plushie in his hands. He smiled at Sun, and the boy smiled back. Link wasn’t sure what to name his new plushie. He put the plushie in his bag. Sun tilted his head as he glanced at Blake.

“What’s your last name?” He asked.

“Belladonna.” She looked confused for a moment. 

“Belladonna? Then this kitty’s new name is Bella.” Blake looked away, embarrassed. 

Link felt sick. He tried to tune them out. Several minutes had passed until Blake spoke up.

“We should go.” The trio walked out of the carnival and strolled through the city. They passed by several stores until Blake had stopped. Link couldn’t read most of the words on the sign at the door. Something, something, Dust Shop. The glass window was broken and the entrance of the store was wrapped with bright yellow tape. Blake stared at the store before turning to Link and Sun. 

“Someone has been stealing Dust for several weeks, and I want to know who is behind those robberies.” She said. Sun seemed surprised.

“Sweet, we’re detectives,” Blake shook her head. The boy’s carefree demeanor shifted as his expression became serious, “Do you think the White Fang is doing this?” 

“No,” she hissed at him, “they don’t have a reason to steal Dust.” Blake didn’t seem to believe her own statement. Sun looked down and glared at nothing.

“They might just be getting back at the Schnee Dust Company, in a stupid way.” Blake glared at him harshly in response. 

Blake sharply exhaled, “I know how the White Fang works,” she paused for a few moments, “I was a member, after all.” Sun nearly dropped Bella in shock.

“Were you with them before or after they went crazy?” 

“Before.” She looked away, clearly ashamed. Link tapped her shoulder. 

‘It’s okay. You’re good, they’re bad.’ _I still have trouble writing. Anyway, this group, the White Fang seems similar to the Yiga Clan. Maybe they like bananas, too? Probably not. The two groups have different goals. The Yiga Clan wanted my head to stop me from killing Calamity Ganon. They kept that goal when their leader, Master Kohga died by ‘my hands’. It seems like the White Fang want to fight for equality. However, that wish is becoming violent. Well, maybe I could off the person in charge of the White Fang? What if that causes more problems?_ Link sighed. Blake looked at the store. 

“Like I said, I wanted to continue tracking these robberies, so we should check the docks tomorrow night.” Sun slowly nodded. Link gave Blake a thumbs up. Link yawned a few minutes later. Sun and Blake glanced at Link. The boy waved them off. He wrote on his piece of paper.

‘Planning is good.’ Blake nodded as she started to walk. The two boys followed. They came across another shop, _Baker’s Dream._ The shop had several black metallic tables and chairs in a small area, housed in by a metal fence with flowers and vines wrapped around it. There was a small gate in the middle of the fence. Sun opened the gate and walked over to a table with three chairs neatly tucked in. The boy sat down and waved the two over. Blake and Link sat down. Sun spoke up. 

“Are we gonna storm the docks and say, ‘This is the police’?” Blake shook her head.

“No, Sun. We should spy on whoever is at the docks.”

‘Attack them?’ 

Sun rose his eyebrow, “Why?”

‘Just in case.’ Blake gave Link a firm nod before speaking.

“First, we should watch, if we see something suspicious, we either create a diversion or simply keep watching. Fighting should be our last priority. We should scout out on a roof and if things go south, Sun you will distract them. If a fight breaks out, Sun and I will fight them directly, and Link, you should act as support; shooting arrows and using your Semblances from afar.” Sun glanced at Link in shock before nodding along with Link.

‘What if there is a group?’ Link wrote. 

“Shoot arrows at them.” Blake said. 

‘Okay.’ Link simply wrote. He noticed the two teenagers were tired; Blake was worse off. Blake had bags underneath her eyes and it seemed like she was fighting to stay awake. Sun placed his arm and the table and put his head down. He began to snore softly. Link blinked at them. Link tapped Blake and she flinched. 

‘Inn?’ Blake mumbled as she nodded. She shook Sun awake and he quickly lifted his head. Blake got up, prompting both boys to follow suit. They walked for several minutes until they stopped at a small gray building. Link was a bit too tired to read the sign. They entered the building and was greeted by a woman behind a counter. Blake started a small conversation with the woman. Blake nodded before glancing at the two boys. The trio headed upstairs to find multiple beds. Blake sat on one of them and took out multiple sheets of paper and a pencil from her metallic bookbag. She began to jot down several things. Sun made his way to another bed and instantly fell onto it. He fell asleep. A few minutes later, Blake was out like a light. Papers were scattered around the front of the bed. Link sighed. He didn’t feel like sleeping. He didn’t sleep much in the first place.

Morning eventually made its presence known. Blake shot up from her bed, while Sun was still dozing off. Blake stretched as she yawned. Link waved at her. She gave him a strange look before waving back. Even though it was early in the morning, Blake continued to plan and Link suggested several ideas. While they were planning, Blake’s stomach growled. She looked embarrassed. A few minutes later, Sun woke up. With the trio up and awake, Blake announced that they would leave. The trio walked downstairs and greeted the woman at the counter. They left the inn and traveled to _Baker’s Dream._ The seats were nearly filled with other people. Blake found an empty table and waved the two boys over. A few seconds later, a woman with a name tag appeared. She glanced at Link with slight fear before looking at Blake and Sun. The small group of teens ordered their food, and the woman nodded as she walked away. Blake stared at the two boys before speaking.

“I’ve thought of more parts for our plan. We should wear masks and use aliases during our stakeout,” she looked over to Link, “especially Link” She whispered. Sun’s gray eyes brightened as he smiled. He looked giddy. 

“Can I have a fake mustache instead?” He pleaded to Blake with a grin.

“No.”

“What if I had the mustache on the mask?” Link nearly burst into laughter, he stared at Sun with mirth in his eyes and a grin on his face. Blake cracked a small smile. The woman returned with three plates of food and a few drinks. Link stared at the food with a ravenous grin, his blue eyes lit up with pure joy. His food, along with the others were carefully set on the table. The woman left. Link intently stared at the steaming food below him. Four fluffy buttermilk pancakes drizzled with melted and creamy chocolate; it was glistening due to the sun, topped with whipped cream and diced strawberries. The pancakes also came with an omelette that was stuffed with melted cheese and sliced mushrooms. The omelette had spinach wrapped around it. Link glanced at Blake and Sun. Blake had ordered Earl Gray tea with several soft and fluffy biscuits. Sun had a massive glass of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup raining down on the cold dessert. It also had chopped pecans and sliced bananas. Link looked back at his food. He nearly couldn’t contain himself from devouring his food like a monster. He took a breath before grabbing his stainless steel fork and knife that rested on the table. He gently cut a small portion of the pancake and stabbed it with his fork. Link ate it with a smile on his face. He was truly satisfied. The boy realized that Blake was talking. 

“So, aliases.” She announced curtly. Sun was the first to respond. 

“Monkey,” Blake looked unimpressed, “uh, Wu?” Blake’s expression didn’t change. A few seconds had passed before Sun spoke up again. 

“How about Gold?” Blake nodded. Blake seemed contemplative as she spoke.

“Black Bow.” Sun smiled at Blake and she softly smiled back. The two teens looked expectantly towards Link. The boy was already finished with his food. Blake and Sun shared a look and glanced at Link’s empty plates with disbelief. Blake blinked as she regained her composure.

“What about you, Link?” The boy placed his hand on his chin. _What’s a good alias? Rice? Cake? Beans? Wait, no that’s food. Wild, maybe? It would break the color theme that Blake and Sun have going on, though. I can’t really think of good colors to pair with Wild, oh well._ Link wrote on his piece of paper again.

‘Wild.’ Sun gave Link a thumbs up. 

An hour had passed and the food was completely gone. The woman walked over to their table and Blake took out some money; Lien, from a slim and rectangular black wallet. Once Blake paid for the food, the trio left. They wandered around for several minutes until the trio found an interesting store. Unlike the mass amount of gray, brown or pale green buildings, the tiny store’s exterior walls were a deep dark purple. The small windows were tinted gray. The wooden door was black. The top of the door had small old black lamp with a bright blue flame inside. Link stared at the black sign that had two white masks plastered on. Gleeful Mask Shop. Link felt oddly uncomfortable. The trio stepped inside. The floor was wooden and had a purple circular rug in the center of the store. There were various types of masks on the walls and shelves. The walls were a pale purple with lime green and black criss crossed lines. Behind the counter was a skinny young man with ginger hair. The man had a wide smile on his face. His eyes were closed as he greeted the trio. The man’s eyes snapped open when Link glanced at him. The man’s eyes were tiny black dots. Crazed. Angry. Link looked away. He felt the man’s gaze still on him. Link wanted to leave. 

The trio walked around the store and Sun stared at a particular mask displayed on the shelves. He grinned. The mask seemed rather childish. It was a monkey mask that covered up half of the face. It was dark brown on the outside and tan on the inside. Its plastic ears were tan on the outside and dark brown on the inside. The mask had a small brown dot for a nose. Sun grabbed the mask and placed it over his face. His smile was even larger than before as he started laughing. He laughed harder as he spotted a large fake black mustache on another shelf. He zoomed towards it and picked it up. Blake rolled her eyes. Link had a soft smile on his face. Blake glanced around the room until her eyes landed on a set of masquerade masks. They had a flame shape on the top right; the masks had white scales or cracks. Blake walked over to left of the store and gently picked up a black variant of the masks. The eye holes were covered by a thin white material. 

Link walked forward to see an interesting mask and a white wig. The mask was cream; akin to a skin color. It had tan arched eyebrows and a dark blue V painted on its forehead. Below the eye holes were two dark red curved marks. The eye holes were covered by a bright white material. The boy seemed entranced. He no longer cared about the man’s lingering gaze as he picked up the mask and the wig. The wig was shoulder length and had short side swept bangs. The trio reformed around the counter; masks in hand. They paid for their items and left. The trio returned to the inn, and thoroughly went over the plan for hours. 

It was now midnight. Blake, Sun and Link had donned their masks; Sun glued the mustache on the mask and Link wore the wig. The trio had arrived on a rooftop. Link crouched down, while Blake laid on her stomach. Link could see a plethora of large multicolored crates labeled Schnee Dust Company stacked in various places. Link noticed that there were a couple of buildings, one being a white warehouse. Sun appeared and crouched down. He had an apple in his hand and several on his arm. 

“You guys hungry,” he displayed the apple in his hand with a smile, “I stole some food.” Link sighed as he nodded. Sun tossed the apple to him. Blake looked over, and despite the thin material over her eyes, she clearly conveyed an unimpressed look.

“Do you always break the law without a second thought?” She asked with raised and an quirked up eyebrow.

“Hey! Weren’t you in a cult?” Blake gave him a nasty glare behind the mask. 

“Okay, too soon.” Link shook his head.

A loud engine was heard and the gusts of wind were violent. The trio looked up. Link could see a large gray flying ship of some kind. The moving lights that came from it was almost blinding. The huge ship eventually landed in the middle of the cargo containers. A ramp had extended once the ship was on the ground. A man with a white mask that covered his forehead and eyes walked out. He had a black hood, a white sleeveless jacket and black pants. The White Fang’s logo; a red wolf-like monster with three blood red gashes running through it, was on the back. Blake looked on in horror. Sun furrowed his eyebrows. Several more White Fang members poured out of the ship; equipped with guns and swords. One of them spoke up to the mass amount of members. Sun looked at Blake with a frown etched on his face.

“You really didn’t think they were behind it, huh?” 

“I knew. I was just in denial.” A loud voice broke Blake’s somber expression. 

“Hey! What’s taking so long?” A man with bright orange hair that covered his right eye walked out. He had dark green slanted eyes with black eyeliner. He wore a red lined white suit with black pants and shoes. He had a gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather that was tucked into its red band. He had a gray and black cane in his hand.

The man waved his arms around, “We’re not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, sooo, why don’t you animals pick up the pace?” 

Link was confused. _Who is that fancy looking guy? He’s bad? Aw, that sucks._ Blake quickly explained to the two boys that this man, Roman Torchwick, and the White Fang were collaborating. Blake seemed perplexed by this. _The White Fang and humans like Bowler Hat don’t mix, got it._ Blake looked at Sun and flicked her head up. Sun nodded as he jumped off the roof and ran towards Roman and the mob of White Fang members. Roman stared at the boy as he pulled back his arm and held the cane by the handle.

“Whoa, whoa! I was just wondering why you guys are here, okay?”

“That, is none of your business, kid.” 

“I’m no kid, I am a man!” 

Roman had a dubious look on his face, “Sure, you are.”

“Uh-huh, I am an adult. Yes, sir, a true man!” Sun said with a grin on his face. Sun glanced at the rooftop and scratched the back of his head. 

Blake nodded to Link. Link took out one of his bows and several ice arrows. He placed an ice arrow and aimed the bow at one of the White Fang members. He shot one man in the head and watched as the man was completely frozen. Roman looked alarmed. A few more ice arrows were shot, leaving the majority of the White Fang members encased in ice. Roman and Sun looked up to see two more ships slowly descend. More White Fang members appeared and circled around Sun. Roman held his cane up to Sun’s masked face and fired, a small orange and pink explosion emerged from the cane. Sun swiftly dodged and grabbed something from underneath his shirt. A dark red staff with gold detailing. He swung the staff in a wide half circle and quickly grabbed the staff with his other hand to complete the swing. A few of them were knocked down. Sun slammed his staff into the ground and produced a shock wave, which sent the members to the ground. Roman fired several times as Sun jumped and flipped to avoid them. 

Blake jumped from the roof and swiftly entered the fight. The girl unsheathed her weapon and slashed it. Roman flawlessly parried every slash with his cane. Roman whacked Blake with his cane, only for her to jump up and propel herself with a clone. She caught Roman off guard as she swung her sheath and her sword. She created another clone and dashed to the side. She slashed again; her sword met his cane. She continued to create clones as she attacked. The man attacked a clone, as she backflipped to avoid Roman’s cane. They clashed for a few more minutes until Roman gained the upper hand. Roman slammed his cane into Blake’s side. She was hit again and knocked down. Sun stepped back into the fight as his staff transformed into two pairs of gold chain linked shotguns. He kicked Roman and swung the nunchuk in his right hand; he fired as the nunchuk hit Roman’s face. Sun swung his nunchuk several times, only for Roman to block. He swung the nunchuck in his left hand as the right nunchuk reloaded. Roman continued to parry the attacks as Sun fired and swung his weapon. The sound of metal against metal was heard as yellow and red bullet casings landed on the ground. Blake got up and created a clone and dashed forward. She swung her sword and knocked Roman down; sending him flying. Link shot an ice arrow at Roman with deadly precision. Unfortunately, Roman merely parried the arrow as he stood up. Link hissed in annoyance. Roman aimed his cane at a crane with a crate wrapped with a thick rope. Link shot a myriad of ice arrows, and watched as the man dodged or parried each arrow. Blake dashed forward as she created a clone and swung her sword at Roman. Since Roman was focused on dodging or blocking Link’s arrows, the man was knocked down. The man got up with an annoyed look on his face. He fired several shots. Blake dodged as she created a clone to push herself forward. She swung her sword as Sun transformed his gun-chuks back into a staff and front flipped over Roman. He jabbed and swiped at Roman’s back. The man fell to the ground. Link shot another ice arrow. It didn’t miss. 

A high pitched voice was heard. The trio looked up. Ruby was standing on another rooftop. She had a serious expression on her face as she looked down to see the now frozen Roman. Another girl walked up; standing next to Ruby. She had short curly orange hair with a small curl on top of her head. She wore a dull pink bow on the back of her head. She had bright green eyes, light skin and freckles. She wore a whitish-gray old-fashioned blouse with feminine overalls and a black and green collar with a matching pair of stockings. She had a small mechanical backpack. Ruby transformed her scythe into a sniper rifle and immediately began firing at Roman. The ice that encased Roman had shattered. Roman let out a shaky exhale as he shivered. He immediately got up and fired back. Ruby was knocked down as her weapon fell on the rooftop. The girl with orange hair looked at Ruby with concern before turning her gaze to Roman. Her green eyes narrowed in anger. She walked forward. Ruby held her hand out.

“Penny, stop!” The girl, Penny, turned to Ruby. 

“Don’t worry, Ruby. I am combat ready.” 

A gray colored blade with a luminous green power symbol at the center of the bronze hilt and a green line running from the side of the blade appeared above the girl. The sword was connected to a wire. The sword separated into ten blades. Penny ran and front flipped off of the rooftop. Three blades pierced a small group of frozen White Fang members. They were quickly dispatched of. Penny landed on the ground; crouching. Her swords briefly became one, only to spread out in a semi-circle above Penny’s head. She swung her arm outward and unleashed a flurry of swords towards a frozen White Fang member. She swung her arm to the right as her swords followed suit; crashing into several frozen people. Roman fired several shots at Penny. The girl deflected them by conjoining the swords close together, in a circle. It spun rapidly. Penny jumped and spun in the air as Roman continued to shoot. Her swords were thrown like a boomerang, it knocked Roman down, as well as the rest of the White Fang members. Roman quickly got up while muttering something under his breath. He walked towards the girl and whacked her with his cane. Penny dodged as her swords returned to her. A single sword was sent in Roman’s direction and he swiftly dodged with a smirk on his face. 

Link replaced his ice arrows for regular arrows. He aimed right above Roman’s head and shot an arrow. It whizzed past him and pierced a crate. His head snapped towards Link and fired. _Revali!_ Revali burst into the sky and caused gusts of wind to form around him. _Release!_ Link switched his arrows for bomb arrows as he fell. He shot a bomb arrow directly into Roman’s face. Link placed his bow onto his back and grabbed a Guardian Sword++ from his bag. He crashed onto the ground as he slashed his sword downwards; hitting Roman once more. Penny regarded Link with confusion before sending multiple swords towards Roman. Link backflipped twice to create some distance. He shot several bomb arrows as Penny rotated her left arm, causing the swords to form two mini circles. Two green laser beams appeared and fired at Roman. The man glared at Link and Penny as he was knocked down. _Urbosa! Lightning, now!_ The thin white material and Urbosa’s right hand sparked with electricity. She twirled and dashed towards Roman as she slashed her sword into Roman’s side. As soon as the weapon hit its target, Roman was shocked by green lightning. He fell to the ground. He smirked at Urbosa as he looked up to see three more ships. The ships began firing at Urbosa and Penny. While they were preoccupied deflecting or dodging, Roman slowly got up and managed to escape the fight. The ships were getting closer. Penny pulled her arms back as two swords pierced the warehouse’s large garage door. _Release. Revali!_ Revali flew into the sky and landed on one of the ships. _Urbosa!_ Lightning crackled in Urbosa’s hands as she slammed the blade into the ship. Electricity consumed the ship. Urbosa ripped the sword from the ship and backflipped. She fell as Penny held out her arms and looked back. Penny was quickly launched backwards. Penny bent her right leg and lowered it to the ground; she brought her left leg forward as she held her arms in front of her. Her swords formed a ring. She pulled her arms back as a large green laser began charging up. The swords rapidly spun as the laser fired at the electrocuted ship; Penny thrusted her arms forward. The ship was cut in half; it landed in the water. The two swords were removed from the warehouse. Urbosa stared at the girl in awe. _Laser Girl is a Guardian. I repeat, Laser Girl is a Guardian._

_‘Link, hush.’_

_Release! Revali!_ Revali, once again took off; he flew right above the second ship. _Release. Daruk, smash it!_ Daruk’s hand curled into a fist as it glowed a bright orange. He crashed on top of the ship and slammed his fist hard into the metal. There was a resounding thud and a large dent. Daruk delivered several punches to the ship as it began to fall. The force of Daruk’s punch pierced the metal. Daruk stood up. Penny embedded a sword into the ship and reeled the wire in, pulling herself forward. She used her swords as thrusters and spun widely around the ship to reach the top. She smiled brightly at Daruk. He nodded. Penny embedded five swords into a nearby ship and brought the heavy ship crashing into the other. Penny looked at Daruk.

“Use your flying ability, mister faunus,” Daruk nodded. _Release! Revs, come on,_ “And hold me.” 

_“Do you have no tact?”_ The girl looked surprised, she then narrowed her eyes. Her pupils expanded and turned into a dark green. 

“Identity: Error. Definition of tact: adroitness and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues. ‘Do you have no tact?’ var: true. P.E.N.N.Y has no tact.” The girl mumbled in a flat voice. 

_Uh. Laser Girl is freaking me out, Revali!_

_‘She’s a robot, it’s not hard to comprehend.’_

Revali held Penny in his arms as he flew. The girl raised her arm and her swords appeared above them. Her blades formed a wide ring and charged another laser beam. 

“Let go.” Revali released his hold on Penny and watched as she quickly descended. She fired a massive laser towards the two ships as she fell. The remains were sent into the ocean. Penny sent a blade to the ground and backflipped as she was pulled down. She landed safely down. _Release._ Link was falling to the ground. Penny gasped and launched herself into the air; five of her swords were behind her. She held out her arms to catch Link. Link made a noise once he landed in her arms. 

“Are you alright, sir?” He nodded. She smiled at him. She was pulled down once again. Penny let go and Link stood up. They looked up to see another ship flying away. Link sighed and sat down. Sun and Blake walked over to Penny and Link. Ruby dashed forward, leaving petals behind her. She appeared in front of them. Blake seemed uncomfortable as Ruby stared at her.

“We missed you, Blake. Come back,” Blake slowly removed her mask with a tearful expression, “Please? Let’s go home.” Ruby pleaded with her. Blake looked away, ashamed. The girl in black nodded. Sun smiled at the two girls before changing the topic altogether. 

“Great job, guys! _Wild_ and Penny here, were awesome!” He grinned as he ate one of the apples he stole. He offered an apple to Ruby, Blake and Penny; the orange haired girl refused. 

“Wild?” Ruby and Penny chimed in. They stared at Link. The boy removed his mask with a soft smile on his face. Penny’s eyes widened as she pointed at the boy. 

“Sal-u-tations,” her pupil expanded again, “ _Link Dorephan._ It is pleasant to meet you.” Link’s expression shifted into a stoic look. He nodded. Her eyes returned to normal as she spoke up again.

“May we be friends?” Link blinked twice. He gave her a grin as he nodded. She cheered and raised her arm into the air. A blade was sent into the sky. The group of children looked at Penny in disbelief. 

“Pardon me.” She said, embarrassed. Her swords became one and entered her back. Ruby opened her Scroll and called someone. A few minutes later, a group of people in dark blue uniforms, black and white cars, and the rest of team RWBY made an appearance. Yang looked worried as Weiss quickly approached Blake. Ruby stared at the two girls with concern. 

“Weiss, I want you to know that I’m no longer with the White Fang. Back when I was with-”

“Stop _right_ there. Do you have any idea how _long_ we’ve been searching for you,” she paused as Blake’s eyebrows slightly went up in surprise, “Twelve hours, and in those twelve hours, I have concluded that,” Ruby, Yang, Link and Sun expressed their concern, “ I don’t care!” 

Blake tilted her head as confusion was set on her face, “You, don’t care?”

“You aren’t with them anymore, correct?”

Blake was about to speak, but was interrupted by Weiss again. 

“I don’t want to hear it. All I want to know, is that when something this big comes up, you’ll tell us,” she glanced at Sun, “and not someone else.” Blake wiped her eyes as she nodded. Ruby and Yang cheered. Weiss smiled at them. She then shot a nasty glare towards Link. She marched over to him and pointed.

“And you! Why didn’t you text us? You were with her the whole time and you didn’t let us know! Why?” She said angrily. Link’s ears flicked to the sound of Weiss’ angry and loud voice. He blinked. _Uh. Um. Good question, Weiss!_ Weiss sighed in annoyance.

“Nevermind, we can talk _later._ ” She glanced at the team and Link. Weiss narrowed her eyes at Sun as he laughed nervously. Ruby looked around for Penny and noticed that she had left. The six children stared at the sky, looking at the shattered moon.


	17. Truth Be Told, I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding between Link, RWBY and JNPR.

His Scroll buzzed, causing Link to bolt out of his comfy bed. He yawned as he stretched. Button greeted him with a happy chirrup. Link smiled. He approached his bird and softly pet his head. The bird cooed and flew up to Link’s shoulder. Link’s hair caused Button to shake his head and sneeze. Link laughed. Link grabbed his bag and finally checked his Scroll. He was bombarded with text messages; some of the words on screen still confused him. 

**Red Cinnamon Bun** has added **Link Dorephan** to **Big Happy Family.**

**Red Cinnamon Bun:** Good morning, Link! Oh, say hi to Button for me!  
**yangalang:** wassup sister- beater?  
**yangalang:** *Link @everyone  
**Words, words, words:** Yang, it’s 8 AM in the morning.  
**yangalang:** Blk.  
**yangalang:** Blek.  
**yangalang:** *BLAKE.  
**yangalang:** Listen, this is importamt. Link is here, see?  
**yangalang:** *important

**I Scream for Weiss Cream** has cleared their name.

**yangalang** has changed **Weiss Schnee’s** name to **crawling in my weiss cream.**

**crawling in my weiss cream** has changed their name to **Stop it, Yang.**

**yangalang** has changed their name to **N E V E R.**

**Link Dorephan:** Hello?  
**N E V E R:** hiya pal.  
**N E V E R:** lets change that boring nickname.  
**Link Dorephan:** It’s not boring. It’s my name.  
**N E V E R:** and that ugly font. 

**N E V E R** has changed **Link Dorephan’s** name to **Lonk Dorefindus.**

**N E V E R** has changed **Lonk Dorefindus’** font to Fredericka the Great. 

**N E V E R:** better.  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** Thank you?  
**N E V E R:** What can I say except you’re welcome!

**Words, words, words** has removed **N E V E R** from **Big Happy Family.**

**Red Cinnamon Bun:** Nooooooo, Yang! Blake, why? ;-;  
**Words, words, words:** I’m sorry, Ruby. It had to be done.  
**Red Cinnamon Bun:** T^T  
**Red Cinnamon Bun:** Plz add her back!  
**Stop it, Yang:** BLAKE. NO. BLAKE, NO.  
**Words, words, words:** Hmmmm. 

**Stop it, Yang** has changed their font to Lora.  
**Stop it, Yang:** I’ve made my text more understandable. Just for YOU, Blake. PLEASE, don’t do this. Please, I beg of you.  
**Words, words, words:** Wow.  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** Hahaha.

Intrigued, Button flew down to Link’s Scroll and began to peck at it. He chirped.

**Lonk Dorefindus:** khjhjhjhaa  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** j  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** rttd d a a v g;;;;;;

**Jaune of the Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Thunder Goddess** and **Ren Ren** has entered **Big Happy Family.**

**Jaune of the Arc:** Hey guys!  
**Thunder Goddess:** Wuh-oh. Lnk’s heving a sezure.  
**Pyrrha Nikos:** Should we go look for him?

**Words, words, words** has added **N E V E R** to **Big Happy Family.**

**N E V E R:** guess who’s back? back again? it’s ya girl, YAAAAAAAAAAAAANG! lolololololo  
**Stop it, Yang:** No. No. NO!  
**Red Cinnamon Bun:** Yaaaaay, sis is back!  
**Red Cinnamon Bun:** Right! Link’s in trouble! RWBY’s first objective of the day is to save Link!  
**Words, words, words:** Don’t you mean second?

 

Link gently shooed Button away from his Scroll. The bird returned to Link’s shoulder with a grumpy sounding chirp. Link placed his Scroll back on his hip. He heard footsteps from the outside. There was a soft knock on Link’s door. He opened the door to see eight familiar faces. He smiled at them. Button flew on Jaune’s head and quickly dozed off. The two teams laughed at the bird’s antics. Ruby spoke up with a small smile on her face.

“I wanted to get to know everyone a little better, so I was hoping we could all go to the library today,” her kind and excited smile broke slightly as she glanced at her and Jaune’s team, “that and they kinda want answers about what happened a couple of weeks ago?” _Right. The fight with Cardin._ He nodded. _Mipha._

“ _That is a wonderful idea, Ruby. Ah, I suppose Link can provide answers for your questions._ ” Mipha smiled softly. Ruby grinned. _Release._

“Let’s go!” Ruby cheered to JNPR and her team. Ruby beckoned Jaune next to her and the two leaders began walking. Their teams and Link trailed behind them. Ruby and Jaune walked up three flights of stairs. They took several turns before approaching a dark brown wooden door with a gold label that read: Library - Rm 610. Ruby looked back to the two teams with a big smile on her face. She then turned back to the door and slowly opened it. She burst into petals as she zoomed forward. Link, JNPR and the rest of RWBY walked in. Link’s jaw nearly dropped at the sight of the massive library. The floors were carpeted in a nice shade of orange, the walls were a very light brown and the cream colored inside of the roof was curved. The tables were pure white, while the wooden chairs were brown. There were holographic devices on top of some of the tables. The large wooden shelves were filled to the brim with different colored books. Link noticed that some of the tables were occupied by a few students. 

“I know a good spot, come on.” Blake whispered to them. Blake begun walking to the back of the large library, and the two groups followed suit. There were various bean bags strewn about in the corner of the room. Blake sat down on a black bean bag with her legs crossed. The remaining group of students sat down on the other bean bags. Ruby stared at everyone before softly clapping her hands. 

“Let’s get the Link situation out of the way. Is everybody okay with that?” Everyone nodded; Link gave Ruby a slow nod. Yang quietly spoke up.

“Link, you better tell us what the hell happened that day. _Exactly_ what happened.” She softly hissed. Link nodded again. _Revali._ There was a sullen look on Revali’s face. He looked at the orange carpet. 

“ _I snapped. I was enraged, sadde-_ ” Revali was interrupted by Weiss’ sharp voice.

“Over a weapon?” Revali’s eyes instantly snapped towards Weiss. The sullen expression cracked. It was replaced with an ice cold look. _Link’s_ stoic face didn’t portray any of his feelings. Weiss, including the rest of RWBY and JNPR flinched.

“ _You didn’t let me finish,_ ” Revali glanced at each student, “ _That ‘simple’ and ‘unimportant’ weapon belonged to my lover. Mipha,_ ” they looked curious, “ _and she’s dead. Gone. That weapon was one of the few things I had left of her. It vanished. Just. Like. Her._ ” Link’s raspy voice overpowered Revali’s. His stoic expression along with his furious voice caused the two teams to stare at the boy with wide eyes. They looked uncomfortable. The information they received slowly donned on them as a period of tense silence hung over the two teams. Ren let out a short sigh before looking at Revali with sympathy. 

“I understand. I lost my parents many years ago. My father’s dagger is the only thing I have left.” Jaune and Pyrrha eyes conveyed shock. Revali nodded softly. Ruby seemed sad as she began to speak.

“If it makes you feel better, why don’t we all tell our stories? We can ask questions, too,” Ruby exhaled sharply before continuing, “My mom was, she was, killed. I'm too scared to ask _why._ ” Revali stared at the small girl with a frown. Ruby stared back with a weak smile.

__

“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay,” Ruby had a wide smile on her face. Revali could tell it was fake as Ruby started to cry, “see?” Her voice cracked. Yang quickly hugged her and slowly ran her fingers through Ruby’s hair; trying to calm her down. Yang glanced at Revali with an indifferent expression. She calmly spoke up.

__

“My mom abandoned me.” The blonde looked away from the sympathetic stares she received. Blake placed her hand on Yang’s shoulder as she spoke. 

__

“I was in an abusive relationship and a member of the White Fang.” The girl in black stared at the carpet; her shoulders slumped. She was ashamed, it seemed. Weiss sighed and shook her head in Blake’s direction; sorrow was etched on her face. 

__

“I hate the White Fang for what they did to my already broken family.” Blake’s head shot up. She whispered a soft apology to Weiss. The white haired girl simply shook her head. Everyone stared at Jaune. He looked uncomfortable. 

__

“My dad gotten really sick a few years ago, so, uh, I had to become the ‘man of the house’ for my family.” Pyrrha’s eyebrows raised. She seemed impressed; in fact, everyone did. 

__

“That’s quite honorable of you.” Weiss replied. Jaune seemed slightly embarrassed. Pyrrha slowly rose her hand, wanting to speak. 

__

Yang snickered at her, “This isn’t class, Pyrrha.” The redhead quietly apologized before speaking.

__

“I am practically considered a celebrity among a sea of people. Everyone and anyone who has heard the name ‘Pyrrha Nikos’ thinks that I am flawless; amazing. They’re wrong. I’m just a student, a teenager, and yet no one truly realizes that.” Revali stared at her with understanding. The two teams gazed at her. Shock, pure shock was written on their faces. There were hushed apologies from nearly everyone. Pyrrha kindly smiled at them. Nora’s hand shot up, there was a grin on her face. 

__

“I killed a buncha Grimm!” 

__

“Nora!” Ren groaned. Nora’s grin slowly disappeared. 

__

“I was an orphan,” The orange haired girl seemed somber. She stared down at the floor with a sigh, “That’s about it.” Ren glanced at Nora with a knowing look in his eyes. He softly poked her nose with a serene smile on his face. Nora let out a soft but weak giggle. Revali briefly glanced at Ren and Nora. The two teams finally focused their eyes on Revali. He could see that they were rather curious about him. 

__

“ _I am grateful that you all were able to show your vulnerability,_ ” his lips quirked into a small smile, “ _I see that you are-_ ” Revali was interrupted by Link nearly screaming in his head.

__

_Do not finish that sentence with ‘amazed by the great and prestigious Revali’!_

__

_‘I wasn’t going to, Link!’_

__

_Are you sure about that, buddy?_

__

_‘Don’t refer to me as ‘buddy.’_

__

_What should I call you, then?_

__

_‘Comrade.’_

__

_Revs._

__

_'No.'_

__

Revali was snapped out of his conversation with Link as Yang’s confused voice called out to him.

__

“Are?” She continued, waiting for Revali to finish his sentence.

__

“ _Are interested in me._ ” Some of the students looked bewildered or embarrassed. Revali realized his mistake as his eyes widened; a slight blush colored his cheeks.

__

“ _That is not what I meant,_ ” he sputtered, he then smoothly continued; as if his earlier embarrassment never existed, “ _You have questions for me, do you not?_ ” Revali received eager looks from the two teams. Ruby frantically raised her hand with a wide grin on her face. Revali smiled at her as he nodded. 

__

“Can I, please, see your weapons, Link? Please?” There seemed to be stars in her silver eyes. Revali let out a quiet laugh. He took out several swords and two handed weapons from his bag. Ruby’s eyes were glued onto the Savage Lynel Crusher, Ancient Bladesaw, and various Guardian and Ancient weapons. She picked up a Guardian Sword; its blade was made up of blue energy. The girl softly ran her finger against the blade and stared at it; she moved it at different angles and observed it. She stood up and tightened her grip on the hilt. She let out a tiny _hiya_ as she slashed the sword vertically. She looked surprised as she heard something akin to a whooshing sound coming from the sword. She mumbled something.

__

“It makes a ‘voosh’ sound, whoa.” 

__

The smile on her face brightened as she stared at Revali with desperate and pleading eyes, “Can I borrow this for a while?” Revali nodded with a soft laugh. Ruby cheered before looking rather mortified. 

__

“You wouldn’t get mad if I broke it, right?” 

__

“ _I would not._ ” Ruby smiled as she cradled the weapon in her hands. Yang playfully shoved Ruby as she rose her hand. 

__

“Oh, me next, me next!” Revali scoffed at her, shaking his head. She grinned at him.

__

“When are we gonna have a fair rematch?” Nearly everyone groaned. Revali chuckled.

__

_“You’ve fought me three times, however, I believe that I am up for one more.”_ He smirked at her. The blonde whooped as a grin appeared on her face. 

__

“Fourth time's the charm, baby!” She loudly exclaimed. People shushed her. She rolled her eyes. Ren spoke up once again.

__

“Do you really have two Semblances?” Revali hummed in response; thinking.

__

_Two Semblances are a pretty big deal, huh?_

__

_‘I suppose so, Link.’_

__

“ _Can you exactly define a Semblance?_ ” 

__

“It is the manifestation of your soul or personal power as an ability; it is unique to you. There are some drawbacks to a Semblance, however.” Pyrrha explained. Revali’s eyes narrowed in thought.

__

_‘Manifestation of your soul, is that right?’_

__

_And power!_

__

_‘Would we count? Four souls; us. And you, which would make five in total, yes?’_

__

_I’m not so sure. You are temporarily a part of me. Ah, this is so confusing, Revs!_

__

“ _I’m not quite sure._ ” They didn’t look too pleased with that answer.

__

Blake’s eyes flickered between Revali and her teammates. She gazed at Revali for several seconds. Revali caught her. She avoided his eyes as she quietly spoke, “I don’t want to assume things, but are you, insane?” Revali simply blinked in response. There was an awkward pause. 

__

_I mean, am I, Revali?_

__

_‘No.’_

__

“It’s just that you talk to yourself and refer to yourself as a different person. I thought that was the drawback for one of your Semblances.” She continued. 

__

“ _It’s rather difficult to explain, but, I suppose you can say one of my ‘Semblances’ is like calling upon a spirit._ ” Blake’s amber eyes widened, her mouth hung open. Everyone reacted the same way. 

__

“Whoa, that’s _insane._ ” Yang quietly shouted; Revali didn’t know whether that was a joke or not. Weiss’ icy blue eyes narrowed.

__

“Are they random spirits?” Revali shook his head.

__

“ _Four. I know who they are, well, were._ ” Weiss nodded. 

__

Pyrrha shifted in her seat; she was nervous. The girl was outlined in black as his metallic weapons slammed into the ceiling; the weapons were outlined in black as well. She covered her mouth as she rapidly apologized. The weapons were carefully brought back to the ground.

__

“I apologize if I’m being too forward, but how did you feel about Mipha? Did she know that you loved her?” Revali’s face darkened. His hand was curled into a fist. Pyrrha was alarmed; she began to apologize. Revali stopped her with a sharp glare. 

__

“ _Loved her. No,_ ” he let out a long sigh, “ _Don’t make the same mistake that we did. She never told me. I found out from her brother and father. It was too late. I was caught up with a difficult task. Couldn’t focus on my feelings. On hers. By the time I wanted to confess, she was long dead._ ” Everyone was silent. Pyrrha glanced at Jaune and the boy offered a clueless expression in return. Both Link and Revali knew.

__

Pyrrha had feelings for Jaune. Link, along with the other Champions saw the yearning and happiness on Pyrrha’s face when Jaune would speak to her; when he would regard her as an equal, without a title. He noticed the faint blush on Pyrrha’s face, when he’d smile at her during training sessions. It seemed like Jaune was oblivious, just like Link was in the past. 

__

Link felt bitter. He pushed that feeling down.

__

Sensing a disturbance, Button woke up and flew towards Revali. He walked over the fluffy carpet and pecked at it curiously. The little bird looked at Revali and squaked. Button began pecking at Revali’s long brown leather boots. Revali smiled as the bird let out several chirrups and shrill chirps. He hopped onto one of the boots and made his way to Revali’s shoulder. 

__

Jaune awkwardly broke the silence, “Will you train me today?” Revali shook his head. 

__

“ _I believe you need a break from Urbosa’s rigorous training methods._ ” Jaune shook his head in response.

__

“I’ve been dealing with that for _several_ weeks now, and I’m fine! It’s fun, too.” Revali rose an eyebrow. Nora sat at the edge of her bean bag. She had a lazy smile on her face.

__

“Gimme those ice arrows!” Revali rose his eyebrow as laughter was heard. There was a moment of silence before Ruby gasped out loud.

__

“You haven’t told us a story, Link,” Revali tilted his head as Ruby became flustered, “I mean, you did! I think?” Revali chuckled softly. 

__

“ _Like most of you, my parents passed away. I moved to another town, and at one point, joined the royal guard. Met a so-called ‘bratty’ princess, which changed my life completely. I was held down to a destiny; an impossible goal. Failed. Tried again, and reached my goal years later._ ” He knew that a lot pieces to this story was missing or oversimplified, but he couldn’t tell them his life story. Someone else might overhear it, which might cause someone with a lot of power to hunt him down. Again. 

__

Yang glanced at Weiss with a smirk, “Did you happen to meet Weiss?” 

__

Weiss glared at her, “Are you trying to imply that I’m ‘bratty’? I am no such thing.” Blake and Ruby glanced at each other with a dubious look on their faces. Revali laughed. _Release._

__

The two teams, including Link conversed for several more hours until they retreated to their dorm rooms. 

__

Link laid in bed, thinking. 

__

_I wonder what else this world has in store for me._

__

He fell asleep, clutching the Zora armor in his arms.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this officially marks the end of Volume 1. I am currently writing Volume 2, so it will take much longer to post things.


	18. Burning Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the start of Volume 2, everyone!

I stared at the cloudless sky, watching as embers flickered in the air. I stood on one of the closed platforms of the Divine Beast, Vah Rudania. I listened to Daruk yammer on about piloting the Divine Beast. He stretched as he spoke. I simply gave the Goron a blank look. I would have been interested if I wasn't thinking so much. _Okay. Calamity Ganon is coming. What do I do? Can I really defeat him? What if Princess Zelda is still unable to awaken her powers? What is the point of defeating Ganon, if that monster shows up again?_

Daruk interrupted my thoughts, “Are ya okay, Link?” I blinked as I shook my head. I sat down, looking at the ground. Daruk stared at me with concern. 

‘Calamity Ganon is coming. Princess Zelda says that time is quickly running out. I'm not prepared. The Hero of Hyrule, if you can really call me that, is terrified. That's funny, right?’

“Link,” Daruk’s jovial voice shifted into a serious one; his incredibly bushy eyebrows furrowed, “Everyone is worried. You might not be prepared, but that's okay! You have us, and the Master Sword.”

I stared at him. _What if the Champions aren't prepared either? They're strong, of course. They're willing to sacrifice their lives just to protect Hyrule, but what if they end up dying? Believing in support or friendship isn't going to get us anywhere._

'Yeah.' Daruk didn't seem to see my inner turmoil, and if he did, the Goron didn't pry. 

Daruk roughly pat me on the back with a large grin on his face. I fell face first into the ground.

“Yes, little man! You can believe in us, Link.” I glared up to see Daruk making a silly pose, his fist was in the air. I smiled at his odd behavior until I noticed what he said. _Little man. I was constantly made fun of and picked on by the idiots in my training camp, so nicknames like this bothered me. Unfortunately for me, Daruk has a habit of calling me this. I just have to get used to this, but not at this exact moment._ I got up as I scowled at him. He looked extremely lost, as if he didn't understand why I was upset. 

"Did I say something wrong? Sorry, I'm not too good at giving advice, little man!" Daruk offered me an embarrassed grin. While I appreciated the apology, I still didn't like the nickname. My glare darkened, and Daruk was alarmed.

‘I’m not that short. If you say that again, I’ll throw a dog at your face.’ Daruk was visibly shaking. His dark blue eyes widened in fear; the white in his eyes were visible. Daruk’s arms shot up in defense. I smirked at him. _The mighty Goron Champion is afraid of dogs. Hilarious._ Daruk huffed and crossed his arms. He grinned.

“No dogs, please. And sorry, I can't help but call you 'little man.'”

‘I will not hesitate, _Goron._ ’ Daruk chuckled loudly.

"I know!" The Goron still had a smile on his face.

The ground shook, Daruk’s head turned to the sky. He looked back and shrugged.

Black sludge appeared out of nowhere. It slowly covered Vah Rudania. Daruk no longer had eyes, a nose or a mouth. Daruk was engulfed in the sludge. The sludge oozed down, into the ground. Daruk was gone. Vah Rudania vanished. I stared in horror, unable to even move.

The light blue sky darkened. A bright red shattered moon was visible. I looked around and noticed that I was now in a forest. The leaves on the trees were blood red. Several dark red leaves fluttered in the wind. A large amount of pitch black flower petals joined the leaves. Looking down, I saw dark red grass. I heard three footsteps. My head snapped up to see three hooded figures. They all had pitch black robes with masks that covered half of their faces. The figure standing in the center had bright amber eyes. Their eyes shone with greed. The figure on the right had blood red eyes with dark skin. The figure on the left had gray eyes and pale skin. In front of the robed figures was a black orb with a glowing orange light inside. It had small bone plates on the orb and thin dark red tentacles with small sharp blades at the ends. A thick, black and red cloth-like material hung from the middle of the orb. I reached for the Master Sword on my back. It was gone. The orb floated towards me and extended its tentacles. 

Two of them instantly wrapped themselves around my arms and pulled me down to the forest floor. I was kneeling. A tentacle loosely wrapped itself around my neck. As figure with amber eyes sauntered towards me, the tentacle slowly tightened its grip. The figure crouched down as the tentacle strangled me. I struggled to breathe. Tears were forming in my eyes. Everything was blurry. I thrashed around, hoping to get them off of me. It didn’t work. Several tentacles pinned me against the ground. The figure above me produced a black glass bow without a bowstring. The figure loaded an arrow onto the bow. They aimed the bow at my chest and shot. The arrowhead pierced my Champion tunic. It dug into my skin. Blood bubbled from the wound. I grit my teeth and glared at the figure. A gloved hand had a rough grip on my hair. My eye twitched as I continued to glare at the figure above me. The person's eyes held hunger. They let go, only to aim the bow at my head. They shot again. Black spots dotted my vision as four glowing orbs shot out from my body. Blue. Green. Red. Yellow. The glowing orbs dimmed as they floated towards the figure with amber eyes. Their eyes were glowing. 

I let out a raspy breath. My world turned black. 

Link’s eyes snapped open as he ripped his blanket off of his body. He tried to swallow. He let out a shaky exhale. Link pulled his collar down. He lightly pressed his hand against his neck. He got up from his bed and attempted to walk. His legs felt like jelly; he almost fell. Link slowly dropped to the floor as he covered his face with his hands. His body felt cold; he was shaking. He sobbed. 

Button chirped in alarm as he flew towards Link. Link felt Button’s tiny feet on his leg. The bird traveled up to Link’s shoulder. Button rubbed his head against Link’s neck as he chirped softly. Link flinched. He struggled to stand up. He grabbed his Scroll and pulled the grips apart. He tapped the camera app. Link nearly dropped the tablet. 

There were ligature marks on his neck. His hand shook as he raised his hand back to his neck; his fingertips barely grazed the darkened skin. 

_How?_

_How?_

_How._

Link sighed. He checked the time on his Scroll. 3:35 AM. The boy shook his head. 

_I am not going back to sleep._

The boy sat down, staring at the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and hits! 
> 
> I'm not a very good writer, so it warms my heart that people actually like this!


	19. A Regular Day at School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has class again!
> 
> He's still freaked out by the nightmare, but alas, he gets another one.
> 
> Team members of RWBY and JNPR sort of save the day.

Link checked his Scroll once again. 8:45 AM. He had stayed awake for six hours. It’s nothing new. He rarely slept. Adventuring, exploring, fighting, and saving his world replaced his need for rest. He wasn’t in Hyrule, anymore. Wasn’t home. 

At one moment, his mind recounted every detail of that nightmare, including the inconsistencies. Suffocating. Piercing. Bleeding. The next moment, his mind was silent. Link shook his head. He sighed.

_Class starts at 9 AM. Professor Port. Right._

The nightmare was looming in the back of his mind, screaming at him to acknowledge it. He tightly closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He opened his eyes. Link ignored his thoughts and focused on changing into his uniform. He removed his Amber earrings and wrapped his white scarf around his neck. He didn’t bother to brush his messy hair. _8:50 AM. Ten minutes._

Button chirped loudly in his ear. He flinched. Link nearly forgotten that Button remained on his shoulder the entire night. He nodded to his bird. Button bobbed his head. Link grabbed his bag. He glanced at the wilted flowers in the vase before opening door. He walked out and locked the door. He walked downstairs, to the first floor. Link reached the class and opened the door. He was early, as usual. Two familiar faces greeted him. Link nodded to the two boys before sitting in front of them. Button chirruped. Like the many other times Link has arrived early, he listened to the two boys’ interesting conversation. 

“Hey, Arin.” The boy with unruly curly hair looked at his friend, Arin, with a small smile. Arin looked back with a tired gaze.

“What?” Arin mumbled.

“Can I share something with you from yesterday?” There was a moment of silence before Arin tiredly spoke up.

“What is it, Dan?” Arin put his head down. Dan took out his Scroll.

“Well, I sent you a text yesterday night.” Arin slowly turned his head towards Dan. He hummed, prompting Dan to continue.

“Because I have to visit my family in a few weeks,” Arin chuckled softly. He seemed out of it. Dan read out the text, “and so I was like, ‘Do you have any preference whether I go’, uh, ‘this weekend or the next weekend?’” Arin nodded.

“Your response,” he looked pointedly towards Arin as the tiger eared boy laughed, “At 1:40 in the morning,” Arin laughed again, “‘Motherfucking Jesse Woodenberg. Jesus Christ fuck dude motherfuckin' action movie bullshit Jesus can you fucking believe this shit?’” Arin slammed his fist on the desk as he laughed hard. He pat Dan's arm. Dan grabbed Arin’s hand as he stared at him.

“No, no punctuation. Random capitalization,” Arin continued to laugh, “So I respond, ‘I have no idea what we’re talking about right now.’”

“Yeah?” Arin asked in a slightly higher pitch. 

“45 minutes pass,” Arin coughed as he laughed, Dan smiled at him; his smile didn’t reach his eyes, “I get a text from you. ‘God damn created Scrolls then fucking lawyers and shit right fucking Winklevoss twins god damn rowing the boat fuck yo shit I can't even fucking believe this shit have you seen this shit fuck I just watched this shit fuck Jesse Woodenberg man.’” Arin laughed. 

“I respond, ‘Arin, you’re scaring me.’ An hour passes, you respond, ‘Motherfucking Spider-boy Spider-boy you put in the time fuck put in the time motherfucking built shit with this bare hands fucking best friend shit Jesse Woodenberg. I'm very tired.’” Arin lifted his head; tears were in his eyes as he laughed. He gasped as he wiped the tears away.

“I’m like, ‘No prob man, I’ll, I’ll do most of the talking on our radio session later.’ _Immediate,_ like, response, I’m talkin’ like five seconds later, ‘No man I’ll just talk about the Scrolls movie all day shit man you have to be so interested in the shit I have to say about the Scrolls movie fuck dude I just watched it a year and a half ago fuck Jesse Woodenberg man he fucked over Spider-boy crazy Winklevoss twins rowing Trent Reco or did the soundtrack fuck this guy who invented Scrolls I don't like dying I can't think of who the fuck invented Scrolls. All I can think is who played the guy who invented Scrolls who the fuck invented Scrolls,’” Arin blinked. He burst out laughing, “and then in capital letters, an hour and 30 minutes later, ‘HAN SCROLLS.’” Arin was dying of laughter. Dan gave him a questioning look. 

“What _was_ that, Arin, please tell me.”

“I was trying to study?” 

“At one in the morning, Arin?”

“Yes.” Arin nodded with a lazy smile. 

“Sure thing, Big Cat.”

“Anyway, I was studying, but I was super bored, so I watched some anime to prevent my brain turning into mush,” Dan shook his head, “as I was watching this super cool anime, Niri activated and texted you.”

“That was all Niri?” Dan asked in disbelief. 

“Yep.” Dan laughed. The two boys slowly calmed down. Dan spoke up again.

“Wow. Oh, what anime did you watch?”

“Lost World. It’s about two best friends that were accidentally sent to another world,” Dan seemed intrigued, “they were playing a game or something, then _bam,_ they disappeared. They were transported to this fantasy world. It’s pretty sad, though. One of the main characters die in the end, but he’s revived. He doesn’t remember his friend once they find each other.” Dan seemed rather upset at that. His expression quickly changed. 

“That’s,” he sharply inhaled, “cool.” Arin looked at his friend with worry. The curly haired boy waved him off with a smile. Students noisily entered the classroom. The teacher walked behind the students; walking inside the room. The class sat down. The chatter consuming the room stopped. Ruby waved to Link. A few students, including Link, took out a notebook and pencil. Professor Port started his lesson. The man spoke about ancient Grimm for several minutes while motioning to the board and moving his hand. Link took notes as the man taught his lesson; he glanced at Ruby, who was drawing in her notebook. At one point, the teacher went off topic, discussing one of his many stories. The atmosphere in the room shifted; draining the boy of his energy. Professor Port droned on, his voice was caused Link to feel drowsy. Both the room and the teacher’s voice demanded Link to succumb to sleep. Link attempted to fight it off; he struggled to keep himself awake. Link glanced at the already sleeping students, then to the clock. _It’s been five minutes and the kids are dropping like flies._

He didn’t want to sleep; he couldn’t. Panic set in. _What if I get another nightmare? Another bruise?_ He shakily exhaled. He heard Button chirp; he unintentionally ignored him. The nightmare from last night assaulted his mind. There was a brief flash of pain around his neck. For a second, he stopped breathing. 

The atmosphere of the room was soothing. Professor Port’s voice sounded like a lullaby to Link’s ears. He put his head down and closed his eyes. 

I silently trailed behind Urbosa and Princess Zelda. They both wore Gerudo outfits; Princess Zelda’s top showed much less skin. Urbosa wore a crimson silk tube top that bared her muscular dark brown stomach; it had curved light red markings and a piece of gold jewelry wrapped around the end of the top. The top also had shoulderless silk sleeves that ended right above her elbows. The sleeves were marked with pale red dots; the sleeves were suspended by thin gold bands with small green gems. Her sirwal shorts, like the tube top, was made of silk. It was dark purple. The material underneath the golden belt was light green. She wore red pointed shoes. Several pieces of gold jewelry and a light blue scarf completed the look; her Champion scarf was tied around her waist, like a skirt. 

Princess Zelda wore something similar, instead of a tube top, she wore a longer white silk shirt that covered her stomach. She also wore a royal blue baggy sirwal with small pale blue triangles on it. She wore cream colored sandals. 

My feet sunk in the sand with every step I took. The bright sun beat down on my skin; overheating me. Sweat trickled down my face. I was getting dizzy. I was extremely aware of how dry my mouth was. It was annoying, but I had more important things to worry about, such as protecting Princess Zelda. Princess Zelda turned her head towards Urbosa. She quickly addressed the tall woman. 

“Why aren’t you wearing your armor today, Urbosa?” 

The Gerudo Champion chuckled before responding, “I’d like to relax for quite a bit, is that a crime, little bird?” Princess Zelda sputtered, clearly embarrassed. 

“No, it is not, forgive me.” Urbosa let out a loud laugh as she shook her head; her bright red hair swayed slightly. 

“I’m merely teasing you, Princess, no need to fret.” 

“I know!” The shorter girl huffed. The sound of Urbosa’s laughter was much softer. I listened to Urbosa’s teases and Princess Zelda’s wails and embarrassed squeaks to ignore the incredibly high humidity. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with a sigh. Urbosa and Princess Zelda glanced at me. Urbosa’s emerald green eyes sparked with mischief. She stared at Princess Zelda with a playful smirk on her face. 

“It seems like your knight is suffering in the sun,” her grin widened as her eyes landed on me once again, “perhaps he should wear a Gerudo outfit?” 

“No, Urbosa!”

Urbosa gasped, “You’d want your knight to die from a heatstroke, Princess?” 

“No, it’s not that! I know what you have planned.” 

“I am not scheming. Don’t accuse the innocent of false crimes.” 

“Urbosa, I order you to stop lying.” Princess Zelda weakly demanded. Urbosa laughed. 

“You’ve caught me,” she laughed again, “I simply wanted to tease you. That, and it seems like Link would need a better outfit.” There was a beat of silence before Princess Zelda replied.

“This ‘better outfit’, would be the female Gerudo outfit, correct?” Urbosa nodded. Princess Zelda let out a long sigh. She turned to me. I already knew what she would ask; it was rather obvious. I didn’t mind wearing the Gerudo outfit, so I nodded. A pink blush painted the Princess’ cheeks and ears. She avoided my gaze. Her entire face went red. She slowly turned to Urbosa and gave her a stiff nod. Urbosa snorted; it shifted into soft laughter, then to a roar of joy. She tilted her head back as she laughed. Urbosa grabbed something from her bag; a teal Gerudo outfit. She handed it to me.

The two women turned away as I changed. I smiled in relief, the piping hot desert was no longer a problem. I whistled to get their attention. Urbosa stared at me with a grin. Princess Zelda stared at the sand. 

“Link, you’re such a lovely _vai._ ” I rolled my eyes. My smile was hidden by the veil I wore. 

‘Thank you, Urbosa.’ The tall woman barked out a laugh. We continued our trek for an hour. 

As we were walking, several Yiga Clan foot soldiers ambushed us. Urbosa scoffed as she unsheathed her weapon; she instantly had her shield in her hand. I immediately stepped in front of Princess Zelda; she glared at me. One of them cackled as they rushed towards the Princess. Urbosa quickly intercepted by raising her shield and flicking her hand; blue light and small orange sparks appeared. The footsoldier was knocked down. She twirled around the soldier and roughly stomped on their stomach. One of the Yiga Clan members threw a smoke bomb and vanished. An orange light and numerous amount of small red pieces of paper appeared in front of me. The light disappeared as a large cloud of smoke replaced it. The Yiga Clan member dropped to the ground with their curved sickle-like blade in their hand. The blade glinted in the sun as the footsoldier slashed the weapon. I instinctively unsheathed the Master Sword and caught the blade with my sword. I roughly slashed my sword, knocking the curved blade out of their hand. I slashed at their stomach; their dark red clothes was ripped. I rushed forward, preparing another attack as the bleeding footsoldier vanished once again. I heard laughter behind me. I quickly backflipped as I slashed the Master Sword. I plunged the weapon into their chest; the silver blade was covered in blood. The body fell onto the ground. Urbosa briefly looked in my direction, she seemed impressed. 

Two footsoldiers approached Urbosa, she simply shook her head. The Gerudo Champion rapidly twirled towards them, her curved sword slashed at one, in the head. The force of the swing caused them to roughly bump into each other. Urbosa jabbed one of soldiers with the pommel of her sword, knocking them down. I dashed towards the footsoldier and jumped into the air. I crashed down, right above the Yiga Clan member and slashed my sword downwards. They fell onto the sand. In the corner of my eye, I noticed a Yiga Clan member sneaking up to a defenseless Princess Zelda. I raised my right hand and made a throwing motion. A beam of blue light erupted from the Master Sword. The beam collided with the Yiga Clan member. The Master Sword fired several beams as I “threw” the sword. I ran towards the stunned Yiga Clan member and slashed my sword upwards. The tip of the blade hit their jaw; below their masked face. I slashed the Master Sword horizontally as I stepped forward. The sword hit their waist; cutting their clothes. I stared at Princess Zelda’s shocked face. She mouthed a “thank you” to me. The remaining Yiga Clan members began to surround us. Princess Zelda gasped in fear. She glanced at the Master Sword as she slowly walked towards me. Princess Zelda snatched the weapon in my right hand. My eyes widened as she struggled to wield the weapon. Urbosa’s eyes flickered to her, in worry.

“Little bird-” she began, only to be interrupted by the Princess. 

“No! I want to be useful! I will not be the damsel in distress, I will not stand here and watch both of you fight for my life!” Urbosa’s eyes narrowed slightly as her eyebrows curved upwards. She sighed before responding.

“Then, fly, little bird. I believe in you, Zelda.” Urbosa gave me a sharp look before somersaulting towards one of the footsoldiers. Princess Zelda cautiously walked forward, straining her arm to carry the sword. She gripped the Master Sword’s hilt with both hands and swung it hard with all her strength; the strike was executed rather poorly. The Master Sword nearly slipped from her hands as she almost lost her footing. The force of the uncoordinated but harsh strike decapitated the footsoldier. Horror was written all over Princess Zelda’s face. 

Something went wrong. The last Yiga Clan member’s body morphed into a sticky black mass. Princess Zelda, Urbosa and the bodies slowly vanished. A large gold door materialized in front of me. There were gray shrubs with vibrant purple rhododendrons besides the door. I picked up the Master Sword before I slowly opened it. I looked around to see a single dead tree in the center of the room. As I took a small step, I heard a tiny splash. I looked down, blood covered the ground. I felt a little sick, so I stared up to the ceiling. Above, was a gray sky obscured by several thick clouds. Black smoke and flecks of violet light steadily appeared; an orb with an orange glow emerged and floated above the dead tree. The smoke formed into a shadowy silhouette.

The shadow had glowing red eyes with orange pupils. A thin black sword was in it’s hand. I tightly gripped the hilt of the Master Sword as I ran towards the shadow. I slashed at the shadow’s side. It’s weapon met mine. I slashed the Master Sword upwards, and the shadow turned into smoke, only to solidify a few feet away from me. I glared at it. It said nothing in response. The shadow surged forward, leaving a trail of black mist as it pulled its arm back. The shadow thrust its weapon in my direction. I countered by slashing the Master Sword, and striking horizontally. It dodged and turned into smoke. It appeared above me and I sidestepped. It landed on the floor and rushed towards me. It harshly swung its sword, I backflipped to avoid the blade. It’s shadowy body split into two. One of the shadows walked towards me and slashed the sword in its hand. I jumped back. The other shadow ran behind me and raised its arm up as I dodged. It slashed its sword, cutting through the thin teal material of the Gerudo clothes. I jumped into the air and slashed the Master Sword downwards as I fell to the ground. One of the shadows dodged as it appeared behind me. It plunged its weapon into my back. I coughed up blood as the shadow released the weapon. I struggled to stand up; I staggered. 

One of the shadows transformed into smoke and surrounded the orb. The shadow fused itself with the orb as crimson tentacles emerged from it. A tentacle shot towards me as the shadow slashed its sword. I was knocked down. The shadow’s red eyes glinted with cheerfulness as it raised its arm and held the hilt of the blade with both hands. It slammed the weapon down, into my chest. My eyes widened as blood spilled from my mouth. I struggled to raise my arm and attack. The blade on the end of tentacle pierced my bare stomach. The shadow released the weapon from my chest and walked away. Glee was in its eyes. The shadow tilted its head as two tentacles wrapped around my arms and raised me up. One tentacle slowly trailed up and down my spine. I twitched as my back arched. The tentacle moved a few inches away. It curled before harshly striking me. The sound of the tentacle violently hitting my body was like a loud roar in my ears. Each and every lashing burned my skin; tearing pieces off. I grit my teeth and shut my eyes, trying not to scream. My attempt wasn’t very successful. I hoarsely screamed as each strike connected. I felt blood trickle down my back. I was getting lightheaded from my screaming. Crying. 

Shouting. Shouting. Someone was screaming at me. A high pitched voice rang in my ears. 

Ruby shook Link as she nearly yelled at him, “Link! Wake up, wake up!” The boy’s eyes shot open, they were a dark red for a split second. Link felt a flash of pain on his back. He swallowed the lump in his sore throat as he frantically glanced around the room. Everyone was staring at him. He shrunk in his seat. Ruby gently poked him. He flinched. The small girl was extremely worried, the smile she usually wore had vanished, it was replaced with a small frown, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. 

“It’s okay, you’re at Beacon Academy. You’re safe. It was just a nightmare, it’s okay, Link.” Link slowly blinked. He absentmindedly noticed that his pencil was snapped in half. He scribbled some words in his notebook. 

‘I’m fine.’ Ruby shook her head.

The boy’s ear flicked towards the sound of Yang’s voice; she glanced at the words on the notebook. 

“I wouldn’t define screaming for five minutes as ‘fine’” The boy winced. Another nightmare. _Is this going to happen often? I shouldn’t ask myself that._ A tense silence hung in the air. Professor Port called the boy over. Link slowly got up and walked towards him. The teacher stepped out of the classroom, Link followed suit. Professor Port’s dark brown eyes opened. The concern on his face was obvious. 

“Child, are you alright?” Link nodded. Professor Port didn’t look convinced, as he slowly raised his bushy eyebrow. Link sighed in response. There was a brief moment of silence before Professor Port spoke up.

“It would be wise to seek help, or simply talk to your friends about your agony.” The boy nodded once more as Professor Port motioned to the door. Link and the teacher walked back inside. Every student in the classroom gazed at him. Link felt uncomfortable. The boy sat in his seat, agitation was growing in his stomach. He didn’t like to be stared at. The boy attempted to ignore most of the lingering stares. Except the stares he received from eight familiar faces. He briefly glanced at both teams. They all seemed worried. It brought a small smile to the boy’s face. 

Professor Port glanced at Link before continuing his lesson. Time slowed to a crawl. Link was getting antsy. Ruby noticed this and gently poked his arm. Link jolted before turning to her. She smiled brightly at the boy. Link smiled back. The girl flipped to a blank page in her notebook and wrote on it with a black pen. 

‘Let’s draw!’ Link rose an eyebrow as he retrieved his broken pencil. Button flew down, onto Link’s table and swiped the other half of Link’s pencil. The little bird carried the broken pencil in his beak and flicked his head. It seemed like Button was using the pencil as a sword. Link laughed softly as Ruby smiled at Button. Link pet the bird’s head before returning his gaze to Ruby’s notebook. The boy drew a circle. Ruby smiled as she drawn two small circles and colored them in with her pen. Link drew a small triangle in the center of the bigger circle; right below the smaller ones. Ruby drew three small diagonal lines below the smaller circles. The boy drew a small smile. Ruby drew small but heavy lines above the two small circles. Link grinned at the drawing, then to Ruby. Ruby smiled and gave the boy a thumbs up. Link placed his hand on his chin in thought. His eyes sparked with an idea. He wrote something on the side of the paper.

‘Let’s draw our weapons.’ Ruby nearly squealed in excitement. Her silver eyes glimmered with pure joy. The girl immediately started drawing her weapon; doing a rough sketch. Link watched her color in several parts of the drawing. The girl seemed to stare intently at the paper, completely focused. She slightly stuck out her tongue. She hissed or bit her lip whenever she made the smallest of mistakes. She softly laughed in triumph. She wrote something next to the finished drawing. _Crescent Rose? That’s an awesome name._ Ruby picked up the notebook and presented her drawing proudly. Link smiled and softly clapped. Button blinked, then lightly pecked the drawing. The little bird bobbed his head as he let out a low chirp. Ruby carefully ripped the paper from the notebook and handed the drawing to Link. He smiled at her and neatly placed the drawing in his bag. Ruby ripped another paper out and gave it to Link. _I wonder what weapon I could draw. The Master Sword, maybe?_ The boy smiled as he started to sketch. Button dropped the pencil he had in his beak and walked towards the pencil in Link’s hand. The bird swiped the other half and tilted his head. The tip of the pencil rested on the paper. Button slowly tilted his head, causing the pencil to slightly mark up the paper. The bird drew small vertical lines. Button dropped the pencil. It rolled an inch away. The bird chirped and attempted to pick up the paper. He waddled towards Ruby and dropped the paper. Ruby smiled and held the drawing close to her chest. Link stared at her with a goofy smile on his face. Ruby blushed as she slowly placed the drawing back on the desk. She whispered to him. 

“I really love the design of the weapon! A classic, I’d say,” she giggled as she struggled to deepen her voice; as if she was trying to sound critical or serious, “I love the blue wings, the hilt, everything. But, I think Button’s drawing is _way_ better.” Link smiled. The girl continued to gush about the drawing. 

The bell rung. Students walked out. Button flew onto Link’s head as the boy got up and waved goodbye to the teacher. He walked out with both teams trailing behind him. Three members of JNPR, including two members of RWBY, left for their classes. Jaune, Link, Ruby and Blake walked to their next class, History. The four students walked into the classroom and sat down in their seats. Eventually, the rest of the students entered the classroom. Professor Oobleck quickly nodded to them and zipped towards the blackboard.

Jaune glanced at Link as he took out his notebook and pencil. Link caught his stare with a questioning look. Jaune briefly looked away as he scratched the back of his head. Link rose his eyebrow. Jaune softly spoke up. 

“Do you wanna talk about it? I mean, you don’t have to! Just, uh, yeah.” The boy trailed off with a small smile. Link stared at his desk as he sighed. Link felt a flash of pain on his neck and back. He tried not to react. Link took out his notebook, including a pencil. 

‘Nightmare felt real.’

Jaune blinked, “Yeah, that happens sometimes.”

‘It was about my friends.’ Jaune frowned. 

“You really don’t have to talk about it.” Link waved the boy off with a slight smile. 

‘That wasn’t the nightmare. It’s a memory.’

“Wouldn’t it be a nightmare, because you lost your friends?” Link stared at Jaune. He tilted his head as he blinked. _I guess so?_

‘Maybe,’ Jaune reluctantly waited for Link to continue, ‘I fought the demon. Got hurt by something else.’

“Demon? Oh, you mean _Dark_ Link?” Link’s eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the boy. Jaune laughed awkwardly. He shifted in his seat. _Why name that thing? I know I do the same, but, why?_

“Please stop looking at me like that, it’s scary,” Link gave him a blank look, and the boy quietly mumbled, “that’s even worse.” Link snorted at him. 

“Anyway, we, my team and Ruby’s, kinda thought of a dumb name, and it stuck, I guess? I hope you aren’t, like, actually angry at us.” Link shook his head.

‘Not really. I name my enemies, too.’

“Such as?” Jaune stared at Link with interest and curiosity. 

‘Tony, Larry Thomas, Harry Thomas. Silly things like that.’ Jaune smiled at Link, struggling to control himself from laughing too hard. 

“What gets me, is Larry Thomas.” Link rose his eyebrow.

‘Oh, you think it’s funny? Larry is scary.’ Jaune nearly slammed his head on his desk as his laughter slowly turned into tiny squeaks.

“Larry is scary. _Larry is scary._ ” Link tapped the boy. Jaune was met with a blank expression.

“You’re weren’t joking?”

‘No. Fighting Larry was very, not okay. He was tough to beat.’

“What kind of Grimm was Larry?” Link blinked. _Uh. Uh. The big bird of course? Wait, no. I named him Biggie Bird, so that wouldn’t work._

‘Don’t remember.’ Jaune shrugged.

Professor Oobleck dashed towards the two boys. He quickly lowered his glasses. He gave a silent warning to them before zipping back to the blackboard. He started his lesson. 

“I believe most of you should comprehend how the Great War began. I would like to see what you all know about the war,” Jaune slowly rose his hand, “Yes, Mr. Arc?”

“Uh, was it between the four kingdoms?”

Professor Oobleck grinned as he pointed to Jaune, “That would be correct, Mr. Arc! Do you know why?”

“No.” The boy replied with an embarrassed look. 

“That is alright! Even true historians have no clue about the entire world,” the man sipped his coffee, “As Mr. Arc has stated, the four kingdoms, Vale, Vacuo, Mantle and Mistral, started and entered the Great War,” Link jot that down, “the question is, why?” A person rose their hand.

“I’m sorry if I get this wrong, but racial stuff?”

Professor Oobleck shook his head, “Never fear being wrong. Unfortunately, that is incorrect. You are thinking of the Faunus Rights Revolution, which occurred before the Great War. The Great War started to due alliances and tensions between the four kingdoms. In order to remember the alliances, group the two kingdoms that begin with a ‘V’, and the other two, 'M'.” Several students took notes. 

Professor Oobleck continued to teach as he dashed around the classroom. _Mistral and Mantle traded. Major issue with the Grimm happened, Mantle wanted to ban expression, Mistral sort of sided with Mantle. Vale hated how Mantle and Mistral did things. The ‘need’ for land also lead to the war. Sweet._

The bell rung. Link waved Professor Oobleck goodbye as he walked out. Ruby, Blake and Jaune walked alongside the boy. They walked past two doors, and stood in front of an open wooden door labeled with a gold plate. _Weapons Class - Rm 105B._ They walked inside. The classroom had cream colored walls and a beige floor. On various parts of the walls, were medium sized beige cloths with words sewn into them; some were large construction paper with several words printed on. There were also several black paper cut outs of different weapons plastered on the walls. Two wooden shelves, filled with books, were at the ends of the room, one being in the far left of the room, and the other, to the far right side of the door. There was a medium sized wooden stage on the floor, along with several wooden, red, and green chairs strewn about in the room. In the upper left corner of the room was a black drum kit. Two transparent drumsticks rested on the windowsill. In front of the blackboard was a small group of student desks with four plastic bins. They were labeled: _3rd Period - AP!, 6th Period - T.S., J.J., N.P., 8th Period - T.S., C.B., 9th Period - All Teachers._ To the left of the blackboard was a black cart; it was filled with holographic laptops. A lone laptop was placed on top of it. A man stood in front of the cart, facing the laptop. He had neck length dark brown hair; that had a slight fringe, and dark brown eyes. He also had stubble. He wore a gray long sleeved shirt and black pants with brown sneakers. He looked away from his laptop and glanced at the sea of students pouring in. He smiled brightly as Yang hollered at him.

“Hey, what’s happening, my pun brother?” She grinned as the teacher laughed. Weiss glared at Yang.

“That is not an appropriate way to address Professor Stearns!”

“Weiss, _nobody_ in this room actually calls Thomas, ‘Professor Stearns’.” Thomas laughed again.

“It doesn’t matter what you call me. And to answer your question, I’m good.” Yang grinned wildly. 

“Wizard?”

“No. I am _not_ a wizard.” Thomas seemed somewhat offended.

“Ooh, ooh, how about Polonius?”

Thomas’ smile was wiped off of his face, “No thank you, Yang.”

“Aww, how about T.S.?”

“Better! Anyway, take your seats, and we will begin the Do Now.” Students began sitting in their seats. Nora, Link, Yang, and a boy with dark brown hair sat near the bookshelf to the left. The boy propped his legs on the desk; he had a chocolate bar in his hand. Ruby, Pyrrha, a boy and two girls sat near the drum kit. One of the girls had black rounded glasses and neck length curly light brown hair. The other girl had shoulder length curly black hair. The boy had short black hair, he wore a pink tee-shirt with a cartoon character on it. He had small brown antlers on his head. 

Jaune, Weiss, a girl and two boys sat near the other bookshelf. The girl had shoulder length light brown hair, she wore a black hoodie. One of the boys had black rectangle shaped glasses and long black hair tied into a puffy ponytail. He wore a pink hoodie, blue jeans and black sneakers. The boy insisted that the class, and Thomas, refer to him as _Jane._ The other boy, had a strikingly similar hairstyle to Jane. He wore a dark blue hoodie. 

Ren, Blake and three boys sat in the center of the room; near the stage. Two of the three boys wore black glasses. The boy without glasses had short black hair and dark brown eyes, he wore a blue short sleeved polo shirt. One of the boys had messy and curly dark brown hair and pale skin. He wore a burgundy hoodie; words were printed on it. The last boy had short black hair. He wore a simple blue tee shirt. The boy quickly took out a sketchbook and began avidly drawing. 

Two girls, and two boys sat to the right of the blackboard. One of the girls had round black glasses and wore a black hood. The other girl had her black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a black cardigan made of silk. One of the boys had short light brown hair; it had a slight fringe, and rectangular black glasses. He wore a yellow coat. A tan cap sat on his desk. The other boy was tall, he had round black glasses. He wore a dark gray hoodie and dark blue jeans. 

Three boys and a girl sat behind Jane’s table. The girl had dyed blonde hair, the roots were dark brown. She wore a gray hoodie, faded jeans and sneakers. One of the boys wore black clothes. He wore a backwards black cap, a black hoodie with a Z and a sword printed on it, black jeans and black fingerless gloves. He also wore a black sweatband on his wrist. The sweatband had two robotic-looking zeros crossed together; one was teal and the other was gray. Another boy had his hair in a crew cut. The other boy had brown glasses and short black hair. He wore a brown jacket and blue jeans. He had an accent. 

A girl with long black hair sat in a random seat. She had makeup on. She wore a leather jacket and blue jeans. Everyone was seated. Thomas smiled.

“Alright! Today’s First Round question is: Do you believe that you can trust your teammates with your weapon? If so, who can use it, and what would the code name for that weapon and new user? Silent, solo and seated.” The students glanced at each other. Thomas set up a timer on his laptop. He also connected the laptop to the blackboard (which was apparently able to project the laptop’s screen). The blackboard became a holographic screen. It displayed a dark blue bar at the top, with the words: _First Round: Third Period + AP. Respond to the Do Now in your NB._ The white part of the presentation had the two questions. A small gray rectangle was in the corner; it was the timer. Link watched as the five minute timer counted down. Link and the other students took out their notebooks. Link stared at his notebook for a few seconds and smiled. He had several ideas. Button chirped and flew down to his notebook. The little bird stared at Link, as if he was pleading. Link looked confused. The bird turned to the board, then back to Link. Button was trying to say something, but Link had a vague idea. _Does he want to fight?_ Link blinked and lightly tapped his desk, the bird waddled over. Now that Button was away from his notebook, he wrote several things down.

‘Yes. RWBY and JNPR. Wild Rose, Wild-enaster, Wild Shroud, Wild Celica. Wild Mors, Wild Miló, Wild-hild, Wild Storm.’ _These names suck. Oh well._ Five minutes passed. Thomas spoke up as he pressed a button on his laptop. The new slide had a dark blue bar on the bottom that read: _Notes From Conversation._

“Would anyone like to share,” Jane rose his hand, “Jane?” The boy cleared his throat.

“Good morning, Professor Stearns, how was your morning,” a few students laughed, including Thomas. Weiss shot a look to Yang. Thomas smiled, “I trust Jesus over here,” he glanced at the boy with the similar hairstyle, “and I guess, chocolate eater.” He glanced at the boy with the half eaten chocolate bar in his hand. The other boy made an offended noise. 

“What do you mean you guess?”

“Well, I mean, _razor_ blades are dangerous.” Jane held the R.

“Jane! I’ve known you for a year, don’t do this to me.” The boy grinned at Jane. Jane rolled his eyes. 

Thomas typed. Ruby’s hand shot up. Thomas nodded to her.

“I trust my team and Jaune’s team! Oh, and Link, too! I don’t think they could carry my beautiful baby, Crescent Rose, though,” Thomas barked out a laugh as he typed, “Ember Rose is all I have written, sorry.” Yang cooed at Ruby.

“Aww, you love me, sis!” Ruby blushed. A few other students rose their hands and answered the Do Now. The slide changed. The dark blue bar was back on the top, it read: _AIMS - OBJECTIVES._ Below _AIMS,_ the white screen read: _How does switching weapons convey trust within teams? How and why can this method of using weapons be useful in a battle?_ Under _OBJECTIVES,_ it read: _SWBAT use unfamiliar weapons in a sparring match. SWBAT create new fighting styles to adapt to their new weapons. SWBAT analyze the weapons they use today and discuss today’s lesson._ Thomas spoke up.

“Can someone read the Aims and Objectives for the class?” The boy in the yellow coat read the words on the board. Thomas grinned.

“Thank you. As the Do Now, Aims and Objectives suggests, today, you will fight each other’s weapons. The girl with long curly hair glanced at Thomas with a smile, she made finger guns with her hands. 

“This is why I love AP Wep!” The curly haired girl said. There was a chorus of agreement, along with a few claps. Thomas chuckled. 

“You have ten minutes to plan and practice!” 

The students stood up and grouped together. Ruby stood next to her and Jaune’s team. Ruby glanced at her team and Link. She handed Crescent Rose to Link. He twirled the large and heavy scythe in his hand. He swung it, using two hands. He motioned to the two teams; shooing them away. He slowly walked forward and held the scythe outward. He rotated his body as he spun. He walked back to the two teams. He handed the weapon to Weiss. She gasped as the weight of the weapon overpowered her. She glanced at Ruby as she struggled to raise her arms. 

“Ruby, _how_ on Remnant do you manage to carry _this?_ ” The girl groaned as she finally raised the weapon up. It took quite a while for her to get used to the weight. 

“Lots of practice, Weiss,” Ruby smiled, “You’re doing so good!”

“I haven’t even _used_ it!” Weiss hissed. She held the staff tightly and swung. She nearly tripped over her own feet. Weiss blushed as Ruby clapped. Yang glanced at Weiss.

“Hey, Weiss-cream, pass me your weapon!” Weiss gave her a sharp look as she handed her weapon, Myrtenaster, to Yang. Yang peered at the rapier in her hands. She blinked. Yang slashed the rapier with a look of confusion on her face. 

“Not like that, Yang.” Weiss glared at her as she snarled.

“I’m sorry that I can’t use your _stick._ ”

“It’s not a stick, it’s a rapier! Yang, just make a stabbing motion.” Yang nodded and smirked. She pulled her arm back and harshly pulled it forward. Yang repeatedly made small jabs. Ruby stared at Yang’s bracelets.

“Yang, can I have Ember Celica?” Yang stopped and placed the rapier on a nearby desk. She took off her golden bracelets and threw it to Ruby. The girl caught them and placed them over her wrists. Ruby activated the bracelets, turning them into gauntlets. She punched the air. She flailed and nearly tripped. Yang sighed as she walked over to Ruby. Yang held Ruby’s wrist and did a slow punching motion. She directed Ruby on how to stand and punch properly. Ruby was a little better than before. 

Blake called Yang over and handed Gambol Shroud to her. Yang handed the black haired girl Weiss’ Myrtenaster. The two girls practiced with the blades. The four girls, including Link, switched and practiced wielding their weapons. Ten minutes passed. Thomas spoke up again. 

“Alright, that’s time. Whether you want to have a free-for-all or team battle, it is up to you. Stealing weapons and the use Semblances are allowed.”

Link held Crescent Rose tightly in his hands. Ruby held the Guardian Sword in her right hand. Yang had Gambol Shroud in her hands; she had the sheath in her left hand and the black katana in her right. Blake had Yang’s Ember Celica on her wrist. Weiss held her rapier close to her chest. 

Jaune warily held Ren’s StormFlower in his hands. Pyrrha smiled as she held Jaune’s sword and shield in her hands. Nora held Miló and Akoúọ in her hands. Ren held Nora’s Magnhild with both hands. 

Link glanced at the two teams. _Who should I go for, first? Weiss, I choose you! Daruk, come on!_ Daruk grinned as he raised Crescent Rose into the air and rapidly twriled it with his hand. Daruk slammed the scythe down. He grabbed a speed potion from his bag and drank it. He pulled his arm back and zoomed towards Weiss. Just as Daruk swung the scythe, Weiss summoned a white glyph below her feet as she pointed the rapier towards Daruk. A wall made of ice solidified in front of her. She jumped back as the scythe crashed into the ice wall. Ruby sprinted around the ice wall and charged towards Daruk. As Ruby was getting closer to Daruk, he caught her between the blade and the staff. He swung the scythe as Ruby burst into petals. Daruk was caught by surprise when Ruby appeared right in front of him. She smiled at him as she slashed the sword repeatedly. Daruk jumped away at the last second. Weiss stepped forward as she summoned three small orange-red glyphs, they each produced fireballs. They were coming straight at Daruk. _Release! Revs, go!_ Revali scoffed as he burst into the air; gusts of wind extinguished the fireballs. _Release!_ Link bent his back and held the scythe with two hands. He bent his elbows as he fell. He harshly swung the scythe as he crashed down. He hit Weiss; who plunged her rapier into the floor to avoid being knocked back. As Link recovered from the fall, and the weight of Crescent Rose, Blake propelled herself forward by using her Semblance. She ran towards Link as she created another copy; it was engulfed in fire. Link narrowed his eyes as he swung the scythe at the fire clone. It exploded, and since it was near Link, he was caught in the blast. He fell and slowly stood up. Blake jumped as she created another clone and pulled her arm back. She delivered a quick punch to Link’s face, knocking him back down. Link recovered and swung the scythe upwards, Blake created a clone and dodged. The boy swung Crescent Rose horizontally during Blake’s evasion. He managed to hit her. She was knocked down. Blake quickly got up and propelled herself forward. She fired a round of explosive shots as she got closer to Link. The boy deflected the shots by rapidly twirling the scythe. Blake jumped and created a clone; she appeared above Link. She punched him as she fired more shots. Link was knocked down again. Weiss summoned a black glyph behind herself and zoomed forward. Weiss appeared behind Link and jabbed the rapier into his back. She backed away and retreated when Yang ran towards Blake. The blonde twisted her elbow and slashed at Blake’s side with the sheath. She grinned as Blake jumped back.

“Sorry, Blake, but Link’s mine!” Blake shrugged. The black haired girl propelled herself towards Yang, she then pulled her arms back as she used her Semblance. She propelled herself even further by firing shots. Her fist, due to speed of her Semblance and Ember Celica’s recoil, _slammed_ into Yang’s face. Yang, just in the nick of time, blocked the attack using the sheath. The sound of metal clashing with metal was loud in the classroom. 

Since Yang was used to punching, she extended her arm and jabbed the katana into Blake’s chest. The girl avoided the attack by creating a copy. Link got up and ran a fair distance away. _Okay, okay. I think I’m safe. How do I make this scythe unfold? A gun is too weird. Uh, um, I think I got this! I don’t._ Link stared at the scythe in his hands. He grabbed the jagged blades at the bottom of the shaft and the normal blade unfolded itself. _Yay! Revali, let’s go!_ Revali burst into the air once again and raised his arm. He threw the unfolded scythe at Ruby and she caught the massive scythe. Revali blinked.

“Sorry, I’ll give it back, hold on!” Ruby folded the scythe and pulled the trigger near the staff. She launched herself forward, using the recoil of the scythe. She twirled the scythe so that the blade was near the floor. She fired a couple of times to propel herself into the air. She threw the scythe at Revali, nearly hitting him. Revali smirked at her as he grabbed the Sheikah Slate from his hip. He pointed the tablet towards Ruby as he tapped Stasis+. He tapped it again, stopping Ruby from falling. _Okay, so just copy Ruby. Seems easy._

_‘Link you don’t even know how to use most of Crescent Rose’s features.’_

_Shut up, Revs!_ Revali hooked the frozen girl between the blade and the staff. He glanced at the trigger with an exaggerated sigh and pulled it. Due to the recoil, he was sent flying a short distance away. Revali corrected himself and flew back to Ruby. In order to get back before Stasis+ wore off, he pulled his arm back and fired, causing Revali to charge towards her. He fired just as he swung and harshly slashed at the girl. _Release._ As Link quickly fell, he narrowed his eyes at the ground and rapidly fired towards the ceiling. _Daruk!_ Just before Daruk slammed down onto the floor, an orange dome formed around him. It shattered as soon as he hit the floor. _Release!_

Stasis+ wore off. Ruby coughed up blood as she fell. Link ran to catch her. He took out some food and gave it to her. She blinked before eating it. She burst into petals and appeared a few feet away from Link. She burst into petals once again and slashed the Guardian Sword at him. She was interrupted when Ren fired an array of pink canisters of pink Dust. They exploded once they reached Ruby and Link. The pink explosions produced electricity. Link was electrocuted, causing him to drop Crescent Rose. Ruby picked up her scythe and outran the grenades by using her Semblance. She nearly crashed into Weiss. 

“Hey Weiss!” The shorter girl grinned at Weiss.

“Hello, Ruby.”

“Okay, okay! Use Snowy Rose on Link, then JNPR!”

“Oh, god.” Weiss glanced at Crescent Rose in horror.

“Don’t worry, Weiss! You can do it.” Weiss offered a shaky nod to Ruby in response. Before Weiss took Crescent Rose, she spun the chamber and plunged Myrtenaster into the ground again. A white glyph briefly appeared on the ground. The floor was slowly encased in ice. She ripped the rapier out of the floor and traded it for Crescent Rose. She grunted as she heaved the weapon. She closed her eyes and mumbled.

“Winter’s training won’t help me. But a Schnee always improvises.” Weiss opened her eyes and narrowed them. She slowly walked forward, dragging the heavy scythe behind her. She picked up her pace as she skated on the icy floor. Weiss summoned a black glyph behind her as she raised both of her arms. Her glyphs pushed herself forward. She bent her arms and fired Crescent Rose backwards, propelling herself at breakneck speed. She summoned another black glyph and it pulled her backwards; the force of the pull slightly slowed her down. She skated as she hooked Link between the blade and staff. She fired as she spun the scythe; the recoil made the strike much harsher and quicker. 

“You’re doing great, Weiss!” Ruby shouted gleefully. Weiss blushed at the praise.

_Revali!_ Revali flew upwards to avoid getting hit. Weiss summoned a black glyph below her feet and it sent her into the air. She summoned a smaller black glyph near Crescent Rose as she attempted to swing the heavy scythe upwards. The glyph disappeared as the scythe was pushed upwards. The weapon struck Revali, causing him to lose altitude. Weiss summoned a glyph behind Revali, it quickly pushed him forward. She bent her arms as she summoned a glyph behind her. She propelled herself towards Revali as she slashed the heavy weapon. As she fell, she summoned another glyph and pulled herself down. She safely landed down. Revali crashed down onto the floor. He slowly got up. _Release!_ Link grabbed some food in his bag and ate it. He dashed towards Weiss. _Daruk!_ Once Daruk got close enough to Weiss, he delivered a harsh punch. In retaliation, Weiss fired Crescent Rose to avoid the hit. She was almost sent flying, but stopped herself by embedding the blade into the icy floor. She gasped for air. Weiss seemed tired. 

Yang let out a shout as she ran towards Weiss and Daruk. Yang slashed the katana at Daruk, he blocked it using the shackles on his wrist. The blonde then used the sheath as a weapon. Daruk dodged it. 

“Weiss, help me out, here!” Weiss firmly nodded as she summoned a black glyph below Yang. The glyph propelled her upwards, Weiss summoned another glyph behind Yang, making her crash down. Yang slashed the katana at Daruk’s head. Just as Daruk was about to dodge, Weiss fired Crescent Rose and summoned a glyph to avoid crashing into Yang; the glyph slightly pulled her back. Weiss summoned a tiny glyph on Crescent Rose as she swung the weapon. She summoned more glyphs on the scythe to properly complete the swing. Daruk was sent to the ground. As Weiss raised her arms, she summoned a glyph behind Yang. Just as Yang zoomed forward, Weiss created another glyph on Crescent Rose. The glyph pushed the scythe upwards. The white haired girl summoned another glyph, causing the scythe to be harshly pulled down; right into Daruk. Yang swung the katana and sheath at Daruk. 

The two girls were surprised when Pyrrha charged towards them, using Jaune’s shield as a surfboard. She jumped off and picked up the shield. Weiss and Yang shared a look. Weiss summoned a black glyph behind Yang. It pushed the blonde forward. Yang slashed the sheath and katana at Pyrrha, only for her to block the strikes. Pyrrha glanced at Weiss with an apologetic look in her eyes. Jaune’s shield and Pyrrha were outlined in black. Jaune’s shield was sent flying towards Weiss’ head. The white haired girl’s eyes widened as the shield struck her. She was knocked out. 

Daruk slowly got up.

Everyone stared at each other in silence. Jane coughed.

“Well, someone sure as hell made some _‘Money Moves’._ ” Jane said. Yang snorted.

“Well, someone sure as hell didn’t contribute.” Yang replied as she stared at Jane.

“You wanna go, huh,” Jane said with a playful smile, “Anyway, you guys kinda fought each other, so did other teams. _Actually,_ you hunted Link down for whatever reason.” 

Blake shrugged as Yang laughed. Ruby picked up her weapon and with a press of a button, it became smaller. Thomas spoke up. 

“You all did great! Unfortunately, the bell is about to ring, so I hope you practice this risky but fun tactic.” Team RWBY and JNPR nodded. 

The bell rung once more, and the students walked out. A mass of students walked towards the Cafeteria. The Cafeteria was filled with chatter. Just as JNPR was getting food, the intercom sounded. 

“Will team JNPR and Link Dorephan report to the amphitheater? Again, will team JNPR and Link Dorephan report to the amphitheater?”


	20. You'll Never See It Coming!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team JNPR and Link go on their first mission. 
> 
> It isn't easy.

Link and team JNPR glanced at each other. Nora buzzed with pure excitement. She practically bounced around as she spoke loudly.

“Oh. My. God,” she stared at each member of JNPR and Link, “Our first mission is going to be so great,” she grinned as she bumped into Ren, “right Renny?” 

The boy smiled back as he nodded in response. The two other members agreed. Link sighed. _I’m just grateful for another distraction._ Jaune lightly tapped Link on the shoulder. The boy glanced at Jaune. 

“You okay, Link?” 

The Hylian boy smiled softly at Jaune’s concern. He nodded. Jaune smiled back before addressing the group. 

“Even though I’m kinda scared about this, I know that it’ll be fine. I hope.” Link let out a huff of laughter. 

“What?” Link smiled at him. Jaune blinked and rose his eyebrow in confusion. Pyrrha glanced at Jaune as she blushed softly. 

“Jaune, you have us to rely on. I also believe that you can fight on your own.” Link nodded in agreement as Jaune smiled.

“Thank you, Pyrrha.” The girl kindly smiled back. Nora began marching forward with a grin as she stared back at her teammates. She excitedly waved them over. The four students strolled behind her. She walked over to the double doors and pushed them open. The girl held the door as the four students walked out. Three out of the four said thank you; Link nodded. Nora clapped her hands as she hopped towards the group. She walked backwards as she rose her index finger. 

“Okay, guys! Let’s play a guessing game. What’s our mission?” Pyrrha slowly rose her hand. 

“Perhaps we will kill Grimm?” 

“That seems fun, Pyrrha!” Nora replied. 

“Killing Grimm seems easy.” Jaune said in relief. Nora laughed.

“Unless it’s a horde!”

“Right.” The boy sounded dejected. Nora smiled at him before turning to Ren. 

“I’m not very sure.” Nora pouted as she poked Ren. 

“Ren, you aren’t fun,” the boy smiled at her. Nora pointed at Link with a smirk on her face, “Linky, what do you think?” 

Link tilted his head. He took out a piece of paper and a pencil. 

‘Think outside the box?’ Nora gasped as she rushed towards Link. The boy took a step back. 

“That’s an amazing idea!” Nora exclaimed. Link slowly nodded. Ren gave the girl a look. Nora continued to walk as she quietly rambled to herself. A few minutes passed, and the students reached the amphitheatre. Link frowned. Button chirped softly. 

On the stage, were Ozpin and Glynda. Ozpin briefly sipped from his mug. He smiled at the students. Glynda’s sharp gaze quickly landed on team JNPR and Link. Link noticed that Button was intently staring at Ozpin. The little bird stared at Link, as if he was pleading for something. Ozpin hid his smile by bringing his mug near his face. Nora grinned.

“What’s the mission? What’s the mission?” Nora nearly screamed in anticipation. Ozpin chuckled as Glynda chastised the girl. Ozpin cleared his throat before speaking.

“Today, you five will be guarding trading goods.” 

Jaune furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “That doesn’t seem like a mission.” 

“I was not finished, Mr. Arc,” Ozpin lightly reprimanded the boy, “You and your team,” he glanced at Link, “including Mr. Dorephan, will also guard a traveling merchant. You all should be prepared to fight Grimm and bandits, however,” Ozpin hummed as if he forgot to say something, “Be careful, as looks can be deceiving.” Link narrowed his eyes in thought. _Looks can be deceiving? That’s rather out of place, but then again, it’s Ozpin. I’ll keep that in mind, though._ The boy glanced at JNPR. The confusion was clear on their faces. 

“Do you have questions?” Glynda asked the students. 

“What do you mean by ‘looks can be deceiving?’” Pyrrha asked. Ozpin simply smiled. _And he won’t answer the question, great._

“So, uh, why can’t this traveling merchant just use transportation?” Jaune asked. 

“She is rather old fashioned.” Ozpin smoothly replied. Jaune seemed disappointed. _Old fashioned? Does that mean we’ll be walking? Awesome!_

Link stared at Ozpin. _Hold on, what about teachers or other students helping out?_ The boy began to sign. He noticed that the four students stared at his hands, completely perplexed.

‘Professor Ozpin, didn’t you say that teachers would aid us in missions?’ 

The man hummed, “Yes, I do recall saying that. I believe you, Mr. Dorephan, can manage to protect this team if anything goes wrong.” _I’m sorry, what? Me?_

‘Uh, Ozzy, I’m not a teacher.’

“Correct, you are a student. A skilled student.” Ozpin smiled and laughed softly. _Okay._

‘Thank you?’ 

In the midst of the short conversation, Button unleashed a chorus of loud chirps. The little bird flew towards Ozpin and perched on his head. Button continued to chirp at Ozpin. 

_What is wrong with Button?_

Ozpin seemingly ignored the little bird as he replied, “You’re welcome.” 

JNPR stared at Button, then to Link. The boy knew they had questions but he didn’t have any answers. He offered a shrug in response. Ren returned his gaze to Ozpin, “Link will join us as a professional Huntsman?” 

“I suppose you can say that, Mr. Ren.” 

Nora rose her arm and pointed at Link, “So, he’s a unprofessional professional Huntsman! _Mr._ Dorephan is awesome!” 

Link snorted. He nodded as Nora laughed. Ren smiled at the orange haired girl. Nora gasped.

“Wait. Can we wear different stuff today?” Nora asked. Ozpin nodded with a smile on his face.

“Yes, you can wear something else, it is a mission, after all,” Ozpin stepped to the side, revealing several black and white boxes, ”and here they are.”

Link smiled brightly. He enjoyed getting new clothes. Nora jumped up and down as she sung to herself. The other members quietly cheered. 

“Change and return here.” Ozpin said. The five students nodded. Link whistled to Button and the little bird returned to him. Nora turned towards the four other students and saluted them. She walked towards the boxes and stacked them. She picked the boxes up as she sang.

“I got the presents! I got the presents,” she took a deep breath and shouted, “Alright, my pawns! To the locker room!”

The four other students, including Ozpin laughed at her enthusiasm. Glynda gave Ren a pitying look. JNPR and Link exited the amphitheatre. Jaune led the way to the locker room. The walls were a solid dark gray, while the floor was beige. Gray lockers with blue lights lined the walls. Nora dropped the boxes onto the floor and placed her hands on her hips. 

“Woo, that was a lot to carry!” Nora said as she grinned. The students; except Link eagerly opened the boxes. Ren took out a white silk long sleeved shirt, pants and steel toed boots. The shirt had black covered buttons in the center and wide black cuffs. A gray lotus flower was printed on the back. The pants were pitch black and slightly baggy, it also had a large white tree design. The black boots had gray shoelaces with copper aglets. 

Nora harshly grabbed an outfit from one of the boxes. The outfit consisted of a black frilly skirt with a white lace trim, a white elbow length sleeve shirt with a small gray version of Nora’s emblem printed in the top right, black fingerless leather gloves with a white lightning bolt design, a gray collared vest lined and buttoned with metal, gray sneakers with black shoelaces and a bright pink sash. Nora regarded the black and white outfit with disappointment, but she smiled as her eyes landed on the sash. 

Jaune was presented with an outfit with a similar color scheme. Inside the box was a black leather chestplate with a black hood, black leather wrist guards, gray gloves, black leather greaves, a gray long sleeved shirt and white pants

Like Jaune, Pyrrha received several pieces of armor. It was nearly identical to the armor she usually wore. 

The four students looked at the boxes in confusion. Four boxes were on the floor. 

“Uh, shouldn’t there be five boxes?” Jaune asked. 

Link tilted his head and shrugged. Pyrrha worriedly glanced at Link. 

Link smiled at her, ‘No worries! I have an outfit.’ The boy produced the rest of his white Sheikah outfit from his bag. Nora clapped. 

“You fit in, now!” The orange haired girl yelled. Link grinned as he nodded. 

The five students changed into their black and white clothes. Nora twirled and stuck a pose. The four other students stared at her. Nora huffed.

“Come on, join me!” 

Jaune walked over to Nora and sat down. Link laughed softly as he strolled towards Jaune and raised his right arm. Ren linked his arm with Nora’s. 

“Pyrrha, Pyrrha, take a picture!” Nora yelled. Pyrrha took out her Scroll and snapped a photo.

“You all look so nice!” Pyrrha said with a smile.

“Why, thank you, Pyrrha!” Nora said as she bowed. 

“We should go back.” Ren stated as he stood normally. Link quickly wrote something on his piece of paper.

‘Wait, let me drop Button off.’ 

“Sure.” Jaune replied. The five students exited the locker room and headed upstairs. Link opened his door and walked inside. He gently placed Button on his desk. The little bird let out a shrill, angry chirp. Link attempted to calm his bird. He failed, as Button continuously squawked. The bird harshly pecked Link’s finger. Button stared at the window, then to Link. The boy offered an apologetic look. Button quickly turned away. The boy slowly walked out, flinching as he heard his bird screech in anger and distress. Link walked back in. Button went quiet. Link mouthed an apology as he walked out and locked the door.

JNPR stared at Link in concern. Jaune awkwardly glanced at the door and Link.

“Is, is Button going to be okay?” He asked with a worried frown on his face. Link sighed as he briefly glanced at his door. He shrugged. _Button sounded so angry. Poor thing._

‘Let’s go.’ The five students reluctantly returned to the ampitheatre. Ozpin and Glynda greeted them with a smile. 

“Your first mission begins, now.” Ozpin announced. He ushered them outside. There was a large Airship hovering slightly above the ground. It was a combination of black, white and gray. The wings reminded Link of a turtle. Jaune seemed sick. Nora chuckled at Jaune’s expression. The stairs attached to the Airship extended onto the ground. Jaune let out a nervous sigh as he boarded the Airship. His team walked inside. Link turned to Ozpin with a smile. He waved goodbye before joining JNPR inside. 

Ozpin nodded to Link in response. As soon as Link entered the ship, Ozpin narrowed his eyes. He and Glynda shared a look as they began a hushed conversation. 

Link stared at the Airship in awe. He grinned. _It’s almost like Vah Medoh._ The floor, including its simple pattern was a light green and gray. The windows were in the shape of a half circle. The window frames were bronze. The boy immediately walked over to one of the massive windows. He pressed his hands against the glass, like a child. _I can’t wait to see more of this world!_ He heard Jaune muttering in fear. Link glanced at Jaune, who was sitting in the corner. Nora ran around the Airship and stopped in front of Jaune.

She laughed as she pointed at him, “Need a bag already, Jaune?” The boy huffed. He nodded. Nora dug into her pockets and gave the boy a brown paper bag. She walked over to Ren with a grin on her face. 

Link saw Ren leaning against a wall with his eyes closed. Magenta and blue eyes quickly met. Link smiled at him. Ren held up his hand. Pyrrha walked over to Link.

“Hello, Link.” 

Link turned to the girl with a soft smile. He waved to her. 

“Are you excited for today?” Link vigorously nodded. Pyrrha laughed softly. 

“I’m glad.” Pyrrha waved him off and walked towards Jaune. She crouched down, right next to him. 

The Airship rumbled softly, causing Link to slightly lose his footing. It took off. Link noticed that Jaune looked even worse. He covered his mouth. Link’s gaze returned to the window. Below was an endless sea of trees and above was a bright blue sky. For a moment, Link thought he was home. In Hyrule. Nostalgia washed over him. He smiled. 

Link briefly closed his eyes, imagining the sound of fresh grass being crushed by his feet, imagining the sound of rushing water, seeing the sun rise over and over again. It was peaceful. Was.

Suffocation. His throat closed up. His eyes snapped open. He felt something tightening its hold on his neck. Link almost ripped his scarf off. _Almost._ He didn’t want to show the scars on his neck. 

Link grit his teeth, forcing himself to breathe. 

No one seemed to notice. Pyrrha was tending to a sick Jaune. Nora excitedly spoke to Ren, who intently listened to her.

Link was relieved. He didn’t want any attention, especially now. He wanted to deal with this by himself. He could. 

He could. 

Link wished he could jump out of this Airship. He wanted to leave. He was trapped in his own mind, in an Airship. Link shook his head. _I’ll be fine. It’ll be fine. Everything. Is. Fine._ He continued to stare out the window, as if nothing happened. 

He saw an enormous amount of red trees and grass. Link narrowed his eyes. _So this forest is real?_ He looked away.

The Airship continued flying past the strange red forest. The view changed within minutes. Link exhaled softly in relief. _No more Nightmare Forest, sweet._ He saw Vale city. He smiled as he remembered the crazy stake out mission with Blake and Sun. Link was surprised to see how large the city was. _Maybe I can walk around the city later._

Link watched as the city eventually became smaller. Another forest appeared. Unlike the red forest, it was green. Natural. The Airship slowly lowered onto the ground. Nora raised her hands into the air. Ren smiled at her. Jaune staggered as he stood up. Pyrrha helped Jaune stand still. The stairs extended. Nora zoomed out. The rest of JNPR, and Link soon followed. Nora exaggeratedly looked around. She pointed when she saw two robotic horses attached to a carriage. The horses were made of metal and painted over with white. Their light blue eyes glowed. The reins were black and wrapped in orange flowers. The exterior of the carriage was a light pink, the roof was pitch black. The carriage was decorated with dark purple and white flowers. The window frames were golden. There was a woman inside. Her dark purple eyes locked onto Link. He quickly looked away. The carriage slowly began to move. JNPR and Link followed it. Jaune glanced at the carriage in confusion. 

“Where are we even going?” Everyone shrugged. Nora instantly smiled as she thought of something.

“Better question! Why don’t we tell each other stories?” _Stories, huh?_

Ren agreed, “That is a better question.”

“Oh, come on, Ren!” Jaune wailed. Link pat him on the shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, Jaune, but this is a great opportunity to learn about each other.” Pyrrha said.

Jaune smiled, “Yeah.” 

All four team members of JNPR stared at Link. Link laughed. _What’s a good story I have? That one time where a goat caused me to roll down a mountain? The first time I saw a Lynel? Oh wait! Gerudo Town!_ The boy grinned. 

‘Are you ready for this one?’ His question sparked their interest.

‘Well, I had to go to a town.’ 

“That’s boring!” Nora replied. Link laughed.

‘But, the town had a rule: no males.’

“Did they make an exception for you?” Pyrrha asked. Link chuckled.

‘Nope. The only way I could get in, was to sneak in.’

“How?” Ren quietly inquired. 

Link smirked proudly, ‘I had to dress up,’ he snickered, ‘and they thought I was a girl, so I was allowed inside.’ Nora grinned. Jaune’s eyes widened. Pyrrha chuckled under her breath. Ren smiled softly.

Nora snapped her fingers, “Do you have the outfit? Do you?” 

Link nodded. 

Nora smiled brightly, “Wear it!” 

‘It won’t match with the black and white.’ He smiled coyly. Nora narrowed her eyes. 

“Let’s do a vote! Should Linky change his outfit?” 

Jaune sputtered, “Like, for the entire mission, or?” 

Nora placed her hands on her hips, “Great question, Jaune! So let me rephrase, should Linky wear this outfit _all_ day?” Jaune gave Link an apologetic look. 

Pyrrha rose her hand, “I’m sorry, Link, but I do want to see this outfit.” 

Link let out a huff of laughter as Jaune slowly rose his hand. 

“Sorry.” Jaune mumbled. Nora’s hand shot up while Ren’s hand stayed down. 

“That’s three votes! Okay, Linky, wear it!” 

Link nodded as he dug into his bag. He produced an orange Gerudo outfit. JNPR turned around. Link felt someone watching him. It was the woman. He glared at her as he changed his outfit. JNPR faced him. Nora gasped loudly. Pyrrha blinked once, then twice as a smile graced her face. Jaune refused to look in Link’s direction; he was blushing. Ren seemed indifferent. 

“Whoa, are you sure that you’re a boy, Linky?” Link rolled his eyes.

‘Pretty sure, Nora.’ 

“Or should I say, Linkle!” 

‘No thank you.’ Nora laughed. 

The laughter was cut short, as the four students gazed at the fresh scars on Link’s back. The boy turned to see concern and horror written on all their faces. Link waved them off with a smile. Scars, bruises and burns were normal for him. Being beaten down by hundreds of enemies was common. Being killed over and over in battle was nothing more than an annoyance. The pain he constantly received was nothing.

_So why? Why am I terrified of these nightmares? Why?_

He tried to rationalize it. He couldn’t do it. He thought of what Professor Port said to him. _Talk to someone? Too difficult. After one hundred years passed, I refused to talk to people about my problems, my fears. I didn’t have many people to speak to. I, instead bottled all my problems and exploded in various forests, maiming everything I could or hiding away. The wilderness helped create my need for isolation._ He sighed. Link wanted to stop caring but it was a fleeting wish.

Nora attempted to distract everyone. The atmosphere slowly changed.

“Okay, now, we start story time! I’ll go first,” the hyperactive girl had a soft and fond smile on her face, “After I wandered alone into Ren’s town, I was bullied a lot, y’know, for being an orphan and homeless. I spent weeks going hungry because I didn’t want to take anything,” she glanced at Ren, “and one day, I met Ren. He’d find me, every single day and buy me food, or sometimes he bring home cooked food. Eventually, I became part of his family. Well, it’s weird ‘cause I considered everyone but Ren as my new family. Anyway!” 

Ren confirmed everything with a simple nod. 

“So that explains why you guys are so close.” Jaune absentmindedly stated. Nora grinned.

“The power of food is strong!” Nora replied, her hyperactive demeanor returned. Link nodded. 

Nora rapidly nudged Ren’s shoulder, “You’re next, Renny!” 

Ren turned to Nora with a small smile before he spoke up, “I struggled to cook when I was younger. But I had to learn because Nora relied on me. The first thing I managed to cook well were pancakes.” 

“No wonder you’re such an amazing cook, Ren.” Pyrrha praised the boy. Ren nodded.

“Practice makes perfect.” He quietly replied. 

The four students glanced at Jaune. The boy let out an embarrassed laugh.

He scratched the back of his head, “I have a lot of sisters. They would guilt me into playing with them, so I was usually was forced in a dress while attending an all pink tea party. It was alright though. I’d do anything for them. Okay, some things I won’t do.” Nora burst out laughing. It seemed like everyone was dying of laughter.

“P-Pretty Princess Jaune! Oh, my _god_. Did, did you have to wear a tiara? Jaune, please tell me!” Nora barely held herself together as she leaned against an amused Ren. 

“Yes.” Jaune mumbled. Nora _screeched._

“I apologize for laughing, Jaune. It’s just that I didn’t expect that, at all.” Pyrrha tried her best to regain her composure. 

“It’s fine, Pyrrha.” The boy’s shoulders slumped. Red painted his cheeks. 

Link smiled at him. Jaune glanced at Link as he sighed. 

“Don’t say anything, please Link.”

Link snickered, ‘I won’t, my lady.’ Jaune sputtered once again. He wailed loudly.

_“Why?”_ Jaune dragged the question as he groaned in pure embarrassment. Link shrugged. It took a _long_ five minutes for them to calm down. 

Pyrrha clasped her hands together, “My parents always told me to strive for something good and once I began to fight, they pushed me harder. They entered me in tournaments, enrolled me into Beacon Academy, they often said it was my destiny to fight.” _Either her parents controlled her life or they supported her love for fighting, I am hoping its the latter._

“Whoa, that’s awesome, Pyrrha.” Jaune exclaimed. Pyrrha blushed.

“Thank you, Jaune.” Pyrrha shyly replied. 

As the group walked, Link noticed several people hiding in the thick brush. Some wore silly masks to poorly blend in with the forest. Link held his hand up. 

‘Careful.’ 

“Bandits?” Jaune whispered. Link narrowed his eyes.

‘Most likely.’ Jaune firmly nodded. 

“Alright, you and Nora can attack them. Ren and I will guard the carriage. Pyrrha, you can switch up; guarding or attacking.” Everyone nodded. All five students took out their weapons. 

Nora practically dashed towards the group of bandits as Link carefully approached them. The bandits nearly ripped off their masks. One of the bandits stared at Link as they licked their lips. Link and Nora shared a look. Link placed an ice arrow onto his bow and shot. The arrow hit one bandit right in the forehead. The target was instantly encased in ice. Link glanced at Nora as he pointed to the frozen bandit. Nora slammed her hammer into them. The ice shattered upon impact. The bandit retaliated by rushing towards the two students. The bandit swung his axe at Nora. The girl blocked the attack. She swung her hammer in a wide arc to gain momentum. It harshly crashed into the bandit, causing them to bump into the others. 

“Link, lightning!” Link nodded. He replaced the ice arrows for shock arrows. He aimed the bow at Nora and shot. Nora grinned as pink electricity crackled around her body. She pointed her hammer towards the ground as she fired several pink grenades. Nora was sent flying into the air.

“Stun them!” Nora hollered. Link swapped the shock arrows for ice arrows. He shot an array of ice arrows at the bandits. One of them dodged. Nora raised her hammer into the air as she crashed down onto the ground. The impact left a crater and several unconscious bandits. Two bandits managed to pass by them, only to be met with Jaune, Ren and Pyrrha. 

Jaune glared at them. 

“Pyrrha, go!” Jaune ordered. Pyrrha changed her weapon into a javelin and raised her arm. She pulled her arm back and threw her weapon at one of the bandits. The bandit caught it with a smirk on their face. Pyrrha gave the bandit a blank look as she activated her Semblance. The javelin was ripped from the bandit’s hands; Pyrrha’s weapon was back in her hands. The girl charged towards one of the bandits as she transformed Miló into a xiphos; a double edged short sword. She swung her weapon at the bandit. The bandit blocked the attack with their shield. Pyrrha side stepped and smacked the bandit in the face with Akoúọ. The bandit was knocked down. Pyrrha continued her attack by activating her semblance once again. She sent her shield flying into the bandit’s head. 

“Good job, Pyrrha!” Jaune said. The boy’s gaze flickered to the remaining bandit. 

“Yellow Lotus!” Jaune yelled to Ren. The black haired boy nodded as he approached the bandit. He fired once as he twirled around his opponent. Ren delivered a quick slash to the bandit as he backflipped; his leg hit the bandit’s chin hard. Jaune ran up to the bandit and roughly slashed his sword. The bandit blocked and jumped away. Jaune raised his shield above his head as Ren backflipped onto Jaune’s shield. The blonde managed to flick his arm, causing Ren to vault off. Ren swung his blades at the bandit once more, effectively knocking them down. The boy let out a long sigh. 

Jaune looked at the other students, “That was awesome, guys!”

Nora shrugged, “Eh, kinda boring.” 

“I mean, we did try out team attacks for the first time?” Jaune defended. 

“That is true.” Ren supplied.

“Now, _that_ was pretty awesome!” Nora yelled. Pyrrha laughed. Link quietly agreed. _The fight was underwhelming, but it was kind of fun!_

The carriage resumed moving as the students trailed after it. 

“Did I do good?” Jaune shyly asked his team and Link. Link gave the boy a thumbs up.

“Of course you did, Jaune. Not only did you come up with a plan on the spot, but you encouraged us!” Pyrrha said with a small smile. Jaune blushed. 

“I’m just glad I could help my team.” 

Nora narrowed her eyes at Jaune, suspicion was written all over her face, “How _do_ you always come up with plans like that?” 

“It’s because of my dad. He had a lot of meetings about war tactics, and I would sneak in every time. So, it kind of stuck.” 

“Why would you sneak in? Couldn’t you just ask?” Pyrrha asked. 

Jaune laughed awkwardly, “I was scared to even ask him,” Link gave him a look, “I was five, okay!” Link laughed. 

There was a lull in the conversation. It lasted for quite a while until knocking was heard. Link’s ears flicked to the sound. He turned his head to see the woman lightly knocking on the window. She made a ‘come here’ motion with her finger. Link was slightly uncomfortable. Team JNPR glanced at Link then to the woman.

“Don’t worry, Linky! We’ll handle the baddies.” Nora reassured him. Link nodded. He slowly approached the carriage and watched the door opened. He warily went inside. The boy nearly choked at the strong scent wafting in the carriage. It was too sweet for him. He felt dizzy. The loud sound of the woman’s laughter caught his attention. 

The short woman had dark skin and long dark red hair tied into a curly ponytail. She wore an old red tank top that exposed her stomach, ripped and faded blue jean shorts, including plain white sandals. A gray mask covered half of her face. She also wore a bamboo hat. Her arms were marred by old scars and scabs. A skull mask doused in dried blood rested next to her. Link stared at the mask with slight unease. _I hope that mask is just a fashion statement._

“Hello, my eyes are up here, sweetie.” The woman loudly announced. Link winced at the sound of her voice and the pet name she used. The woman’s voice seemed to be high pitched, like Ruby’s, except it was incredibly forced and not endearing. He wanted to gag. 

“Aren’t you such an adorable man, huh,” she seemed thoughtful for a moment, “Then again, you look like a twink.” _A what? What does that mean?_ Link gave her a confused look as he attempted to brush her comments off. 

She nearly cackled, “Oh, nevermind, cutie. I think you’d want to know my name, right?” He glared at her. His ears rang from the piercing sound of her obnoxious laughter.

‘No thank you, miss.’ 

“Miss? Oh, you flatter me.” 

Link underlined the first word. 

He quickly wrote again, ‘You’re scaring me.’ _I’m not scared of her, its just that I can’t spell uncomfortable!_

The woman lightly clicked her tongue, “Trust me, I don’t want to scare you, honey. I just want to show you a good time,” she giggled like a child, “My name is Bridget.” The woman, Bridget quickly added. Link felt cornered. He chose not to show it. 

‘No. I didn’t ask for your name.’ Bridget scoffed as she ripped the paper from his hands. 

“So feisty and rude.” Bridget muttered under her breath in a much natural and deeper voice. 

“Why don’t you tell me what you want?” Bridget asked with a lustful look in her dark purple eyes. _I do not like the way she’s staring at me._ He pointed at the paper. 

“Use your _voice._ ” 

Link faltered. _If I can’t get my paper back, can I leave?_ The boy slowly pointed to the door. 

“Oh no, you can’t leave! I’ll be so lonely and bored.” Link pointed to one of the members of JNPR. Bridget had a look of disgust on her face.

“You’re better than them, so much better.” Link shook his head. 

Bridget leaned into Link. She slowly cupped the boy’s chin with one hand as she trailed her finger along Link’s bare stomach. Link jolted and roughly shoved the woman away. He gave her a sharp glare; it was almost murderous. The woman had the audacity to seem disappointed. 

Link desperately called for any of the champions. He felt a small amount of chills, then nothing. _Why isn’t it working? Revali!_

Nothing.

_Mipha!_

Again, nothing. Link’s head snapped up to the sound of Bridget’s laughter. 

“I forgot to mention, Semblances don’t work in here.” The woman cheered. 

_How?_

Bridget’s voice lowered in pitch, she sounded hypnotic; almost as sweet as the scent in the carriage, “Now, sit still.” 

His body stayed completely, almost perfectly still. He couldn’t move. There was a heavy fog clouding his head. He struggled to even breathe on his own. On the inside, he was panicking. _What did she do to me? What did she do?! I can’t do anything to stop her._ He couldn’t even look at the window. 

Link stared blankly at Bridget, as if he was waiting for another command. His eyes were now a dull purple. 

Bridget once again, breached Link’s personal space. She slowly lifted the orange veil from his face. Link was screaming in his head. _Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me. Please don’t touch me!_

“Have you ever been kissed, cutie?” Her question sounded more like an order. 

Link involuntarily mouthed yes. Bridget seemed furious. Her voice dripped with venom.

“I’ll show you a much greater kiss.” _No. No. No!_

Bridget slowly took her mask off. She had a small mole on her left cheek.

She leaned closer. 

By now, Link was screeching. 

His mind was briefly distracted, the panic fueling his unmoving body was gone. He stared at the woman’s dark red hair. He thought her vibrant hair changed into a softer red. Instead of dark purple eyes looming over him, like a predator, he imagined a sweet golden gaze. 

_Mipha._

_Mipha._

The shackles broke apart. He could move. He could breathe.

Link was afraid. It must have shown on his face because Bridget cooed at him. Link glanced at the window. He slammed his fist into the glass, not caring about the glass shards cutting his hand. JNPR was alerted by the noise. 

Jaune saw the terrified look of Link’s face. 

Link repeatedly mouthed, ‘Help me.’ Jaune’s gaze flickered to Nora. The girl quickly bashed the door with her hammer until it opened. 

Link _bolted_ out of the carriage. The boy gasped for air. 

“Link, are you alright?” Pyrrha asked in concern. Link shook his head. _R-Revali, please._

_‘Link?’_

_Revali, just-_

_‘Alright.’_

Revali sent a sharp glare to the woman inside the carriage, _“She controlled me.”_

_“What?”_ Jaune asked in disbelief. His eyes widened. Revali nodded.

_“Ren, Jaune, be wary.” Release!_ Link glowered at Bridget as she jumped out of the carriage. She donned her skull mask. Bridget held a large double sided axe in her hands. The axe blades were dyed red, the ends of both axes were curved. The pole was black. The woman laughed at them.

“You’re just a bunch of inexperienced _kids._ Do you honestly think you can fight me?” Link glanced at team JNPR. They ignored her. 

“Alright! Pyrrha, Nora! Scarlet Shock, go!” Jaune ordered. The two girls nodded. Nora glanced at Link. 

The boy quickly took out his bow and placed a shock arrow onto it. He shot it directly at Nora. The girl smiled as the green electricity instantly changed into a bright pink. She activated Magnhild, it quickly turned into a hammer. Nora ran towards Bridget as she carelessly dragged the heavy hammer. She fired several grenades to launch herself into the air. Nora crashed down just as Pyrrha used her semblance on Magnhild. Once Nora landed, the hammer created a massive pink shockwave, along with a crater. Bridget managed to dodge the attack. 

“Is that really all you kids got?” 

Pyrrha and her weapon were outlined in black. She dashed towards Bridget and swung the xiphos with deadly precision, into the woman’s side. 

“No.” Pyrrha curtly replied. 

The woman scoffed as she roughly swung her axe at Pyrrha. The girl blocked the attack with her shield. Pyrrha swiftly moved around Bridget and swung the short sword once more. In the meantime, Nora transformed her hammer into a grenade launcher that exposed all the rounds in the chamber. She fired all six grenades in the shape of a heart. Three of them hit Bridget, causing her to be electrocuted. The woman recovered. She ripped one of the blades off; it had a handle that connected the curved tip. Bridget twirled as she embedded the axe into the ground and vaulted off the weapon. She swung the smaller axe as she ripped the larger axe out of the ground. She delivered two blows to Pyrrha, who dodged. 

Bridget turned to Jaune and Ren. 

“Don’t even _think_ about it!” Nora screamed at Bridget. She was enraged. Her eyes narrowed as she grit her teeth. Nora’s weapon transformed back into a hammer. She rushed towards Bridget as she crackled with electricity. Nora slammed the heavy weapon into Bridget, causing the woman to be roughly knocked into a tree.

Ren blinked. 

“Whoa, Nora.” Jaune said quietly. Nora grinned at the two, as if she didn’t unleash a devastating attack a few seconds ago. Bridget ever so slowly got up. 

“I wonder how strong you two are against your precious little boytoys.” Nora and Pyrrha sent the woman an ice cold glare. 

“Be good boys and attack them.” She ordered them in a sweet voice. 

Their eyes changed color. Pyrrha looked at Jaune nervously. He didn’t seem to recognize her. Jaune instantly went into a fighting stance. Link would have congratulated Jaune on his perfect stance if he wasn’t going to attack his teammate. 

Ren quickly faced Nora. Dull purple eyes met a frantic turquoise. 

“Lie, _don’t_ make me do this!” Nora stressed. There was a flash of recognition, and then nothing. Nora looked absolutely torn. 

Nora let out a rough sigh as she lightly swung her hammer. Ren gave her an empty look as he dodged. He front flipped as he fired several times at her. Nora frowned as she jumped back. Ren repeatedly slashed the green sickle like blades at Nora. She dodged again. Ren harshly kicked Nora in the stomach as he fired again. The girl grunted in pain. 

“Link, use an arrow!” Link shot a shock arrow directly at Ren’s head. The boy seemed to have sensed the arrow coming his way, despite focusing his attention on Nora. He _instantly_ destroyed it by firing multiple times. Link blinked. Ren completely ignored Link and fired at Nora. He rotated the blade upwards and swung it vertically. He slashed the other blade horizontally. Nora was nearly hit by Ren’s fast paced attacks. Nora lightly smacked Ren with her hammer. He was unfazed. 

Link heard Bridget whisper something, “Trick her.”

“Nora.” Ren weakly said. Nora glanced at Ren with hope in her eyes. She frowned as she realized that his eyes were still purple. 

“ _Shut_ up!” Nora snarled at him. She harshly swung Magnhild upwards. Ren created a small pink shield by physically using his Aura. It was shattered as soon as the hit connected. Nora swung her hammer before Ren could create another shield. The force of the strike sent Ren to the ground. Nora flinched. 

“Sorry.” Nora muttered. Ren struggled to stand up. 

“Link, ice him!” Nora yelled. Link swapped the shock arrow for an ice arrow. He narrowed his eyes as he shot it. Ren was unable to dodge or block. He was encased in ice. 

Nora was somber. She carefully approached Ren and poked his ice cold nose. 

“Boop.” Nora quietly said. Her shoulders slumped. She reluctantly walked away. 

Pyrrha tearfully glanced at Jaune, who was slowly walking up to her. Link immediately shot an ice arrow. Jaune, seemingly on reflex, blocked it with his shield. Link stood protectively in front of Pyrrha. 

“Do you mind if you fight Jaune?” She shyly asked. Link grabbed a random sword from his bag. He pointed the blade towards Jaune. He glanced at Pyrrha and nodded.

“I’m sorry to burden you, Link.” The boy shrugged as he flicked his head towards Bridget. Pyrrha dashed past Jaune and stood in front of the woman. 

“ _Kill_ him.” Bridget hissed at Jaune. 

Jaune’s eyes were entirely focused on Link, to the point that the boy found it uncomfortable. Link was sure that Jaune’s eyes held the intent to _murder_ him. He was unnerved, but he didn’t let it show. Link, instead, glared at him. Jaune rushed towards Link and swiftly swung his sword. Link had a look of surprise on his face. He quickly dodged by sidestepping. Time slowed down. Link dashed towards Jaune and repeatedly slashed his sword. In the midst of his flurry of attacks, Jaune slowly brought his shield up; attempting to block Link’s strikes. Flurry Rush ended. Link jumped back. Jaune menacingly walked forward. Link narrowed his eyes. 

The boy quickly swapped his sword for his bow. He rapidly shot ice arrows. Jaune blocked each and every one. Link hissed in annoyance. He realized that he no longer had ice arrows. Jaune violently bashed his shield into Link’s body. Link didn’t dodge quick enough. He coughed up blood as he hit the ground. Jaune towered above him, preparing to attack.

“Not so fast, Jaune!” Nora hollered. The girl struck Jaune with her hammer. Despite blocking it, Jaune was pushed back due to the force. Link got up. He ran towards Jaune with his shield up. Link slashed his sword. Jaune clashed with him. Jaune attempted to knock Link’s shield out of his hand. He jumped away. A split second before time slowed, Jaune forcefully slashed his sword. The tip of the blade cut Link’s cheek. Link retaliated by slashing his own sword multiple times.

It broke. Jaune moved closer to Link as blue shards appeared around him. The taller boy plunged his weapon into Link’s chest. Blood spilled from his mouth and the wound. Link gasped as Jaune ripped the blade out of Link’s chest. He was knocked down again. Link’s vision was blurry. Jaune stomped on his chest as he blankly stared down at Link. He pointed the blade at Link’s neck. The boy reached for the Sheikah Slate. Jaune glanced at it before bringing his sword at Link’s stomach. He quickly slashed the weapon, creating a deep cut. Link grunted. Jaune, once again, plunged his sword; Crocea Mors right into cut. The boy screamed in agony. 

Black spots filled his vision. He felt cold, weak, even. He was dying.

_The boy was drowning in the same endless, unforgiving ocean. He wondered if there was a point to return to the surface. He wondered if he could really continue breathing. If he wanted to, he had to find a reason. Another reason, another excuse to live. The boy stopped once he heard Mipha’s voice calling out to him._

_The boy struggled to swim up. He was exhausted. The sweet sound of Mipha’s voice forced him to continue. The water burned his lungs. Light eventually consumed the dark sea. The boy pushed himself to swim faster._

_The boy reached the surface with a gasp. He coughed up the water in his lungs. Mipha sat on the sand. Her bright golden eyes met his blue eyes. He got out of the water. She gave him a soft smile. He returned it._

_“Hello, Link.”_

_‘Hi.’_

_She shyly turned away from him, “I apologize, but I must be straightforward. Do you still wish to die, Link?”_

_In truth, the boy wanted nothing more than to join his friends. He would be going against Mipha’s wishes, however. He was then swarmed with new memories, as if these memories persuaded him to live._

_‘I do, but I think I’ve found a reason to live.’_

_Mipha briefly seemed upset at the first words. She tilted her head as a deep frown was etched on her face. Her eyes shone with pity. He wasn’t bothered by the look. Only Mipha could look at him like that._

_She was overjoyed by his next words. A small grin graced her face. Her golden eyes brightened in delight._

_“I am so proud of you, Link. It must have been incredibly difficult for you.” Link blushed. He looked away as he shifted his weight._

_‘Thank you, Miphs.’_

_The Zora giggled, “You are forever welcome, Link.”_

_Mipha stood up and slowly walked closer to the boy. She hugged him tightly._

_“Is it selfish of me to want you to be here?”_

_‘Probably, but I feel the same.’_

_“I know, but I can’t do that to you. You deserve to live, after all.”_

_‘You can be selfish, Miphs. It’s alright to be that way, once in a while.’_

_She sighed, “Not when you are on the brink of death, Link.”_

_He huffed like a child, ‘Fine! Be selfish when I’m not here, and maybe I’ll avoid dying.’_

_“How would you know if I act impulsively?” Mipha coyly asked._

_‘You’ll tell me?’_

_“I suppose I could do that.”_

_The boy felt like he’d vanish at any moment. He frowned._

_‘I guess I have to leave now. Goodbye, Miphs.’_

_He kissed her as he faded away._

_“It is my pleasure.”_ Mipha stood up. _Release! Thanks again, Miphs._

Link felt sluggish, but he ignored it. He decided to quickly end the battle.

_Alright. Urbosa, come on._ Urbosa sharply gazed at Jaune. She scoffed. Just end this, Urbosa. Lightning! Urbosa’s eyes and hands crackled with electricity. She danced around Jaune and delivered a right hook to his side. As soon as Jaune blocked the attack, green lightning rained above. _Release! Daruk!_ As Jaune was severely stunned, Daruk pulled his fist back and punched him hard in the face. An orange glow appeared around his fist as he attacked. Jaune’s eyes returned to normal as he was knocked down. He was unconscious. _Release._

Link sighed. 

The two remaining members of JNPR glanced at Bridget. 

“Get her!” Nora exclaimed as she pointed at the woman. 

“Wait,” Pyrrha calmly said, “we cannot charge into battle without a plan.”

“I can smash her into tiny pieces!” Nora replied.

“Yes, however Link could be a liability. If he is controlled by her, we might not win.” 

Link stared at Pyrrha with a growing smirk on his face. _Miphs, let’s go!_

Mipha smiled kindly at the two girls. Nora laughed.

“Well, since Linky isn’t a problem, we can beat you up now!” The girl screamed at Bridget as a wide grin began to form on her face. 

“Oh, really?” The woman drawled. The three girls nodded in response. 

Mipha gently dug into her bag and took out a Silverscale spear. It was a simple spear made with silver and blue metal that the Zoras used. Mipha tightly held the spear in her hands. She twirled the weapon and pointed it to the ground. 

_“Would both of you mind if I lead this battle?”_

“Not at all.” Pyrrha said.

“Let’s just beat this lady into the ground!”

Mipha smiled, _“Thank you. First, Nora launch me into the air with your hammer, and Pyrrha use your Semblance on Magnhild to increase the force. Then, Pyrrha, use your Semblance to keep Bridget on her toes.”_

The two girls nodded.

“Alright, Miphy, just give me some electricity!” Mipha bit her lip.

_‘Would electricity still affect me?’_

_We can try it out right now!_

_‘I always wonder why you enjoy hurting yourself, Link.’_

_Well, you know! At least we’ll see if it can hurt you._

_‘I suppose, Link.’_

Mipha closed her eyes and sighed. She carefully dug into the bag and held one Yellow Chuchu jelly in her hand. The jelly nicked her hand with sparks. Mipha flinched and nearly dropped it. 

_We found our answer!_

_‘I might not be able to aid Nora, though.’_

_I got it! The Rubber armor!_

_‘That’s a wonderful idea.’_

Mipha took out the Rubber armor, tights and Topaz earrings. The cloth on the armor was a bright sky blue on the shoulders and collar, while it was teal around the stomach. It had black three velcro straps with plastic belt buckles and loops, along with shoulder straps. That part of the outfit seemed like a mix between a chestplate and vest. The thick rubber on the sleeves were black. The wrist guards were also black and lined with a pale yellow metal. In fact, the armor was lined with pale yellow cloth around the collar and chestplate. It also had a black belt and two smaller belts on the sides. The leather gloves were black.

The cloth on the tights was the same color of the lines. There was a patch of beige around the upper inner thighs. The rubber on the tights started below the yellow cloth and ended right at the short black boots. The inside of the boots were teal, and the material was thick like fur. The back of the boots had two small yellow lighting bolts on the top and two small semi circles on the bottom; it was separated by a yellow line. The boots, like the armor and tights were lined in a dull yellow. The boots seemed to be made of rubber, as well.

The Topaz earrings were small, compared to the Amber earrings. It was in a diamond shape. 

She gave an apologetic look to Nora as she changed into the rubber outfit. Nora seemed disappointed. Mipha was surprised as the electric Chuchu Jelly no longer hurt her. She grabbed four more jellies and threw it at Nora. The ginger haired girl pulled her hammer back. Pink electricity formed around the girl and Magnihild. Pyrrha activated her Semblance and used it on Nora’s hammer; outlining herself and Magnhild in black. Nora harshly struck Mipha then swung her weapon upwards, launching Mipha high into the air. She rotated and twisted her body as she fell. Mipha repeatedly jabbed the spear into Bridget’s mask and body. The woman blocked the attack with her axe then quickly countered. Mipha was knocked down. She got up as Nora rushed towards the woman. Nora swung her hammer widely and slammed it into Bridget as Mipha dashed behind Bridget, thrusting the spear into Bridget’s back. Nora’s hammer electrocuted the woman. Nora and Mipha jumped away from the stunned Bridget. 

“Pyrrha, use your rifle!” Nora ordered. The redhead transformed the xiphos into a red and gold rifle. She fired several shots at Bridget, knocking her down. Mipha narrowed her golden eyes as she raised her arm behind her head. She threw the spear at Bridget’s mask; it cracked. Pyrrha used her Semblance to bring the spear back. 

_“Thank you.”_

“What’s our next plan of action?” Pyrrha asked. 

_I have an idea._

_‘Yes, Link?’_

_Pyrrha and Nora should swap weapons! Nora could distract Bridget while Pyrrha uses Magnild to whack Yellow Chuchu jellies in her face!_

_‘And you?’_

_I’ll use the Stasis+ Rune to stop her of course._

Mipha then explained their next team attack. She retrieved more jellies from her bag as the girls switched their weapons. Bridget recovered. 

“You kids think you’re so strong, huh? Well, this battle just started.” 

_“I apologize, but I don't believe that you're stronger than us.”_

_Don’t apologize for that, it’s true, Miphs!_

_‘I’m sorry.’_

_Miphs!_

Bridget shrieked in rage, “How dare you say that to me, you brat.” Mipha winced at the sound.

Nora laughed, “Miphy’s right! You just let other people do the work for you.” Bridget growled as she lunged towards Mipha. The woman took off an axe blade and threw it like a boomerang. Pyrrha stopped the axe in its tracks with her Semblance; she hurled it back into Bridget’s mask. She dodged. Bridget heaved the heavy axe and swung roughly into Pyrrha’s body. She deflected the hit by slamming the hammer into the axe blade; the impact of both weapons made a loud clang. The girl continued her attack by crashing the spinning axe blade into Bridget again. The woman’s mask finally broke. She seemed angry about that. 

“It’s three against one. You won’t win.” Pyrrha stated. The woman didn’t acknowledge her statement. She glowered at Mipha as she slowly spoke in a seductive voice. 

“Mmm, Link, can you help me, please?” 

Mipha jolted. She could feel the connection between her and Link wane. Bridget’s Semblance violently fought for control, causing Mipha to scream. She fell to the ground with a thud; her spear dropped onto the ground. Her head pounded as the woman’s Semblance attempted to sever the connection. She bled, at one point.

_Miphs, do something!_

_‘I can reinforce the possession over your body, however it will-’_

_Mipha, do it. If you lose control, there’s no telling what she’ll do to me or JNPR. I’ll deal with the consequences later!_

_‘Okay, Link.’_

Mipha instantly pushed back. She felt immense chills surround Link’s body. She was covered in a transparent green energy; bubbles formed around her. Her red hair blew in the nonexistent wind. Her nose and the corner of her golden eyes profusely bled. Mipha’s eyes glowed. It felt like her mouth was stuffed with cotton. 

“Whoa.” Nora whispered in awe.

Mipha staggered to her feet; gasping in pain. She grit her teeth as Bridget’s Semblance still lingered. 

_‘I can’t get rid of her Semblance, Link.’_

_Can’t or won’t, Mipha?_

_‘I don’t wish to cause you any more pain.’_

_I know, but Pyrrha and Nora will be the ones in pain if you hesitate. I’ll be fine, Miphs._

_‘Alright.’_

Mipha tightly shut her eyes. She thought of old but wonderful memories as the energy increased in size. It flowed around her like water. Deep red scales formed around her eyes, small claws threatened to rip through the black gloves, her skin paled. Mipha opened her eyes. 

Link’s body was tearing itself apart. Every cell in his body screamed in agony. His blood ran cold as Mipha’s control became stronger with each second. He felt like his bones were constantly breaking and struggling to reform. His muscles weakened. He allowed his body to be broken by his lover. Pain was nothing. 

_“Nora, distract her.”_ Nora laughed gleefully as she pranced towards Bridget. She smacked Bridget with Akoúo̱ then sliced the woman with the now transformed xiphos. The axe quickly met the golden shield. Nora produced leftover pink electricity from the various shock arrows and jellies. Bridget’s body, including her weapon surged and pulsed with electricity. 

“Done!” Nora chirped. Mipha nodded as she gave the jellies to Pyrrha. The girl threw the jellies into the air and hit them with Magnhild. They flew towards Bridget, creating more electricity. Mipha picked up the spear, completely aware of how Link’s body felt like dead weight. She threw the spear as it was outlined in black. It broke as soon as it hit Bridget. The woman groaned in pain. Despite being electrocuted, Bridget smirked. The pink and green electricity subsided. 

“I guess you’re right, _Nora._ I don’t fight for myself, but where is the fun in that?” She grinned as laughter tumbled out of her mouth. The woman took something out of her pocket. A whistle. Bridget winked as she blew into the whistle. Two men appeared seemingly out of nowhere. They both seemed similar to Bridget; they had the same dark skin, red hair and purple eyes. One of the men was slim and rather tall. He had messy, curly hair. His purple eyes were slanted He wore a simple black jacket, an orange and white striped shirt and faded green pants. He could have passed as a child if he didn’t have brass knuckles over his fists. The other man was much shorter, and muscular. His red hair was slicked back. Stubble surrounded his chin. Like Bridget, he wore a tank top and baggy pants.

Nora, Pyrrha and Mipha shared a look of confusion. The short redhead chuckled as he eyed the three girls with mirth, “Why did you call us, Bri? They don’t look so tough.”

Bridget all but glared at the shorter man, “Listen here, little brother, they were annoying me!” The shorter man huffed.

“You’re just as annoying as them.” The taller man deadpanned. 

“You shut your damn mouth!” Bridget snarled. The man shrugged in response. 

Mipha watched the trio with amusement, while also preparing for another fight. She was worried about the current state of Link’s body, however. None of the Champions ever had to do something like this. Maintaining control over Link’s body drained him, she knew that. Reviving him, made Link weaker, she knew that as well. But to completely wreck his body like this, was terrifying to her. He could die, by her hands. She wondered if healing Link would only serve to hurt him. Mipha called out to him.

_Mipha?_

_‘Are you alright?’_ She knew full well that he wasn’t. She felt guilty.

_I’m fine, Miphs._

_‘You aren’t lying, are you?’_

_Well. Should I be honest or not?_

_‘Yes, you should.’_

I’m not alright at the moment. She wondered how and why Link sounded nonchalant. 

‘May I heal you?’

_I think it’s best if you didn’t, just this once, though!_

_‘Why?’_

_I don’t know. You’d be fixing something that is constantly being broken._

_‘I understand.’_

_Besides, it’s my fault for pushing you to do this._

_‘Link-’_

_Just go fight those guys, okay?_

Mipha sighed. He always blamed himself, she mused sadly. The sound of Nora’s voice startled her. 

“We’re pretty strong, mister!” 

The short man rose an eyebrow, “Against our sister.”

“You hurt her.” The shorter brother abruptly said.

“We’ll hurt you.” The taller brother announced to the three girls in a monotone voice. He turned to his sibling as he glanced at the girls.

“Then again, you three are already so weak, right, brother?” 

The shorter man made a gruff sound. Nora’s face was scrunched in confusion. She whispered to Pyrrha. They swapped their weapons; Nora’s hammer was back in her hands, Pyrrha’s weapon and shield were also in her hands. 

“Uh-huh, sure.” Nora said in a weird voice, as if she was freaked out by the tall man. The lanky man slowly strolled towards Nora. The girl raised Magnhild to her chest. 

“I’m glad you realize that, Ms. Valkyrie.” His voice was unnervingly smooth. Nora’s eyes widened in alarm. She ran towards the man and swung her hammer. He dodged before she even reached him. The man slunk forward as he continued to dodge Nora’s attacks. The girl slammed her hammer into the ground, electricity began to crackle around them. Nora struck the man with her weapon. He smiled before jumping onto the weapon; dodging the attack. He leaned forward. 

“You’re going to swing upwards. Then, you’ll slam me into the ground, right into the lightening, right?” Nora froze. 

“No?” Nora said in a high pitched voice, clearly uncomfortable. Mipha grabbed another Silverscale spear from her bag and threw it at him. The man’s head instantly turned to Mipha as he caught the weapon. He front flipped off of Magnild. The man jabbed the spear into Nora, who blocked it. He walked around Nora as she blocked and attacked once more. He jabbed the spear into the girl’s back, then dropped the weapon. She grunted in pain. He repeatedly punched her and knocked her down. The man tilted his head and laughed. His laugh never raised or lowered in pitch. He tightly gripped Nora’s hair and slammed her head into the ground. 

“Nora!” Pyrrha yelled. The girl activated her Semblance and moved the spear up to the man’s neck. The man glanced at her as he grabbed the spear. He pointed it at Nora’s neck. 

“Interfere, and she dies.” The man said in a low voice. Pyrrha glared at him. He smiled. He dropped the spear again. The man put his middle and index finger together. He placed his fingers between her jawline and ear. He roughly pressed against her pressure point. She slumped to the ground. The man seemed disappointed. He got up and noticed that the pink electricity long since disappeared.

“She broke. I’m sad.” 

Bridget snorted, “It’s nothing to cry over. Just take her stuff.” 

The man did what he was told. He noticed that Nora had nothing besides her weapon and Scroll. He clicked his tongue. 

“She has nothing valuable.” 

“Well, that’s _great._ Why don’t you help our little bro, then?” The man glanced at Pyrrha and his brother. The lanky man walked over to a tree and leaned against it. He gave Bridget a faint nod. 

Pyrrha stared. Just stared. She was frozen in place as the shorter brother waltzed over to her. Her breathing became labored. Mipha narrowed her eyes. She slowly approached the girl and tapped her. Pyrrha _flinched._

_“Pyrrha?”_

She didn’t respond.

_“Pyrrha!”_

She snapped out of it. Sort of.

“I can do this. I can do this. I have to do this.” Pyrrha mumbled, her words quickly became a mantra.

_“Pyrrha, I’ll fi-”_

“No. I have to carry this burden. Alone.” 

Mipha glanced at the girl with worry. Pyrrha raised her shield. She stumbled as she walked. The short man grumbled. The girl seemed to choke on the air she breathed in. The man rose an eyebrow. Pyrrha tightly held her weapon as it transformed into a javelin. The taller man noticed that.

“Dodge or counter.” The taller brother announced to his sibling. Pyrrha raised her arm and threw the weapon. The man quickly dodged. The girl used her Semblance to bring the javelin back. The man rolled his eyes and rushed towards her. He punched her. She blocked. Mipha shook her head and grabbed the spear. She stood in front of Pyrrha. The girl pushed past her. That was a mistake. 

Within seconds, the man ran up to her and caught her off guard. He mocked her, causing the girl to freeze up.

He delivered a flurry of punches. Each punch was harder than the last. The strength the man had was almost inhuman. 

Pyrrha was sent flying. Her body skidded against the ground. A heavy amount of blood followed her. She shakily rose her head. Her emerald eyes were dull and unfocused. She coughed up blood and groaned. 

Mipha dashed towards her. She kneeled as she pressed a glowing hand on Pyrrha’s now messy hair. The blood on the girl’s body slowly disappeared. The bruises that formed on her face, and most likely, other areas, ceased to exist. Pyrrha blankly stared at Mipha. The Huntress in training seemed to be alright. The girl took a moment to stand up.

_“Rest, please.”_

Pyrrha blinked, as if she didn’t understand what Mipha said.

_“Rest, Pyrrha.”_

“I can’t do that. I can still fight!”

_“Pyrrha.”_ Mipha’s soft spoken voice hardened with authority. Pyrrha slumped with defeat. 

“What about you?” The girl whispered.

_“Don’t worry about me.”_

“Okay.” Pyrrha’s voice trailed off as she reluctantly began to sleep. 

Mipha stood up. She stared at Bridget and her two brothers. The Zora tightly gripped the spear in her hands. 

_Mipha!_

_‘Yes, Link?’_

_I got a plan. Get close to them, trick the weird brother into thinking you’ll use Stasis+ on Bridget, then release your hold on me. Switch out with Urbosa, she will shock them with Urbosa’s Fury. Switch out again, but with Revs, use Revali’s Gale and shoot a bunch of arrows._

_‘It seems like a good plan, however there are certain things you’re forgetting.’_

_What is it?_

_‘Bridget and her brothers can easily exploit the holes of your plan. Since your body is much weaker, the time in between calling Revali or Urbosa is longer, which leaves you vulnerable to Bridget’s Semblance. Her brother, the one who defeated Nora, can predict movements.’_

_This is bad. Do you have a plan B, Miphs?_

_‘Use us when they are distracted. I apologize, that is the only thing I can think of.’_

_It’s alright, Mipha!_

Bridget glanced at the fallen team JNPR with a wicked smile on her face, “I told you that you’re better than them.” 

Mipha chose to ignore her. She waited for them to attack. They stood in place. It became a stand off. A battle of anticipation. Every twitch of a limb or finger made the atmosphere heavy with tension. 

“Aw, are you scared?” The woman cooed. 

_“Are you?”_ Mipha shot back with a soft voice. Bridget glared and snarled, a retort was on the tip of her tongue. The woman scoffed. She wordlessly directed her brothers to attack. The shorter brother grunted in response. Mipha carefully walked forward. The taller brother watched her with a bored expression on his face. 

“You will be very careful. Dodging and blocking any attack, yes?” 

Mipha turned to the taller brother and nodded. The younger brother barreled towards her. His massive hands were curled into fists. The man sent an uppercut her way. Mipha narrowed her eyes as she jumped back. 

The man sent a rapid flurry of jabs to her chest. Mipha used her spear to block the incoming attacks. 

The Silverscale spear eventually broke. The man smirked at her. Mipha didn’t return it. He kneed her, right in the stomach. Mipha let out a choked gasp. She attempted to get up, but was knocked down once again. The man kicked Mipha hard in the face. She groaned in pain. The man waited for Mipha to stand up. He grunted in annoyance.

“Get up.” 

Mipha reached for her Sheikah Slate. The taller brother gave his brother a warning look. She tapped the Remote Bomb+ icon and watched as a round light blue bomb appeared next to them. The man quickly jumped back as the spherical bomb rolled towards him. Just before the younger brother kicked the bomb away, Mipha tapped the screen. He tumbled onto the ground. Mipha was also caught in the blast. Her body was flung several feet away. The brother got up. Despite being knocked down, he didn’t seem to have any injuries. 

He glowered at her, as if she was scum. The anger and disgust was clear in his purple eyes. She stared back as she got up. Mipha distanced herself from them. 

_Is it risky to switch to another Champion?_

_‘It could be.’_

_Maybe you can throw a metal weapon at them, then shoot a shock arrow?_

_‘Okay.’_

Mipha dug into her bag and took out a Rusty broadsword. She hurled the weapon at the younger brother. Bridget took off an axe blade and threw it. It hit the broadsword. There was a resounding clang. Bridget smirked. Mipha tapped the Magnesis icon and watched as the ground turned pinkish-red. She pointed the tablet at the broadsword and tapped the screen. She waved the tablet around, causing the sword to hit the axeblade back. The small axe landed on the ground. Mipha harshly swung the Sheikah Slate, bringing the broadsword along; it hit the younger brother in the face. Mipha raised the tablet, the Rusty broadsword was flung upwards. Mipha deactivated the rune. The sword fell onto the ground. Mipha retrieved a bow and a couple of shock arrows from her bag. She aimed the bow at the metal weapons. Mipha shot a shock arrow. Electricity formed around the weapons, it traveled towards Bridget and her brothers. Unsurprisingly, they were shocked. 

Stunned. 

Mipha grinned. She had an opening. 

_Revs, come on!_

_‘I doubt this is safe, Link.’_

_I’m never safe, Revali._

_‘Don’t blame me for your foolishness, then.’_

_Fear not, my feathered friend, for I blame myself for everything!_

_‘Never repeat any of those words to me.’_

It was agonizing. Incredibly painful. Ripped apart. Maimed. Choked. That’s how his body felt. At the same time, however, he felt numb, weightless, even. Link needed to scream. He was delirious, from the pain and numbness. He gagged at the sudden taste of copper in his mouth. Blood. 

He knew the extended use of any of the Champions would severely wear him out. He knew that pushing his body and Mipha would provide dangerous consequences. And yet, he surrendered his body to another Champion. 

Link just wanted to get this over with.

Revali took to the sky, at a low altitude. He felt uncomfortable, despite relishing the feeling of flight. Link’s body continued to break apart. Bones snapping. Blood running cold. Heart nearly stopping. 

Revali shook his head. 

The electricity disappeared.

The siblings stared at him, and he stared back. Revali replaced the shock arrows for fire arrows. He shot fire arrow after fire arrow at them. They scattered, trying to avoid the arrows and flames. Revali shot more fire arrows in the direction they ran. They were all hit. 

There was a tightness in his chest. A heavy restriction. He was consumed with dizziness. An unforgiving haze. His heartbeat quickened. Slowed. The sound of his heart was scarily loud in his ears. 

_‘Link!’_

He was confused. Who’s calling him? Why? 

_‘Link!’_

His vision was blurry.

_‘Contact Ozpin, right now.’_

The chills that nipped his skin were gone.

He had half a mind to realize he was falling. He flailed as he struggled to grab the Scroll. He pulled the grips apart. It took a while to get to the texting app. 

**Link Dorephan:** hul  
**Link Dorephan:** help

His body crashed onto the ground. His Scroll followed suit. Bridget walked over to him. She had several injuries, including burns. She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. Link’s ears twitched. He looked up. He stared at her with half lidded eyes. Dazed. Blurred.

Bridget cooed at him, “You did so well, sweetie.” 

Link made a sound. She chuckled. 

“I’ll put you out of your misery.”

_Misery?_

“Stand up.” Her voice was soft and sensual. He got up. She smiled. She picked up the axeblade from the ground. She walked behind Link and held the axe at his neck.

“You were such a strong, good boy.” 

Fog. The fog in his mind was heavy.

A memory was hidden in the thick fog. A bad one. Choking. Choking. Choking. Dying. Dead.

Link weakly elbowed Bridget. He thrashed around, breathing heavily, rapidly. He took a step. He nearly fell. Link heard Bridget scream something to her brothers. The shorter brother ran over to them. The man held Link back, gripping his arms tightly. Link hung his head.

He was too tired. 

The younger brother was hunched over as he strolled towards his siblings. He had a napkin in his hand. He smothered Link with it. Link’s eyes widened. He held his breath. The younger brother addressed this, whispering to his sister. Bridget spoke again. 

“Breathe, honey.” 

He inhaled. He exhaled. 

The napkin smelled odd, yet sweet.

“Have a nice nap, cutie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	21. Recovery?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is in the hospital.

Link heard a constant beeping sound. Slow and steady. It was loud, way too loud for his ears. Irritating. That one sound was the only thing he could hear clearly. He felt like he was underwater, every other sound he heard was drowned out. He thought he heard something else, though. A voice? It was more of a garbled and muffled string of noises. Nonsense. It was also irritating. He couldn’t understand anything. He attempted to tune out the sounds. He focused on himself. 

He felt weird. Drowsy. His eyelids were heavy. His mouth was dry. His skin was pricked with _something._ His arms and legs were restricted? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t move, or maybe he just didn’t want to. 

Link slowly drifted off to sleep, without realizing it.

The Hylian was greeted with the same beeping. He realized that his hearing was a lot better than before. It was a struggle to open his eyes. A blinding white light burned his eyes. Link hissed in pain as he blinked. The light faded. He saw a white ceiling. He stiffly turned his head when he spotted something floating in the corner of his eye. A bright green balloon with the words ‘Get Well Soon!’ printed on it was tied by his bedside. He stared at it in confusion, as if it held the answers he wanted. He looked away. He narrowed his eyes as he took in more of his strange surroundings. 

Like the ceiling, the floor was also white. It was dotted with various colors; blue, red and black, however. The door was a light gray, it had a thin rectangular window. There was a blue chair a few inches away from him. He noticed that there was a holographic computer and several sheets of paper resting on a shelf-desk hybrid. On his left, was a small white drawer with a vase full of flowers, stuffed animals, cards and his bag. On his right were weird machinery and a plastic packet filled with blood. One of the machines had a lot of numbers and a somewhat wavy line, as well as a picture of a heart. It made the beeping noise, he thought.

He was in a bed, he realized. With a pillow, and no blanket. It was cold. 

He stared at his arms and legs. They were covered in bandage wraps. A needle was hidden among the bandages, in his right arm. He tried his hardest to move one of his arms. It hurt to even lift it. It hurt so badly. He sighed. He was completely awake and alert, now.

_Where am I?_

_Where is JNPR?_

_Are they okay?_

_Is Jaune okay?_

_I wasn’t good enough._

_Why can’t I be-_

The slow beeping from the machine quickened. Link’s ears twitched as he flinched from the insanely loud sound. He glared at it. 

A second passed and the door opened. Ozpin walked into the room and sat in the chair. Link’s body instantly shot up, only to crash right back into the bed with a soft thud. He felt indescribable pain all over his body. Since he couldn’t move, he scowled at the man. Link’s glare darkened as Ozpin regarded him with a _smile._

_He sent us on that mission. It’s his fault. Or maybe, it’s-_

Ozpin cleared his throat, “How are you feeling, Mr. Dorephan?”

_Oh, gee, I don’t know. Maybe angry? At you? At myself?_

His fingers twitched. Another flash of pain. He groaned under his breath. Link closed his eyes and opened them. He sharply exhaled. He harshly bit his lip, almost drawing blood as he raised his arms. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.

Too much. 

Tears formed in his eyes. He held back a scream. He caught Ozpin’s gaze. He nearly seemed unfazed. Concern and shock were hidden in his blank dark brown eyes.

“Mr. Dorephan, _don’t._ ”

Link ignored him. He moved each of his fingers; bending and curling them. It was still painful.

‘Where is JNPR?’

“Mr. Arc and his team are in Beacon Academy.” 

That’s good.

‘Are they alright?’

“They are fine.” 

Link nodded. 

“It amuses me that you care more about others than yourself.”

_Don’t start with me, right now._

‘It amuses me that you believed that five kids could go on such a dangerous mission like this.’

_I know that they live in a world of danger, but JNPR was almost unprepared. They could have died._

Ozpin looked troubled. His eyebrows furrowed. His eyes narrowed.

‘What?’ 

“I miscalculated. I apologize. Yes, it’s true, I did believe that you and JNPR could handle this mission. That was foolish of me. I simply put too much faith in the five of you.” 

‘Just be more realistic and aware, next time.’ 

“I will.”

‘You better. Anyway, what is this place?’

Ozpin chuckled, “You’ve never been to a hospital, Mr. Dorephan?”

_A hospital?_

‘Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t.’ 

Ozpin smiled. It vanished a few seconds later.

“Mr. Dorephan.”

‘Yes?’

“After you notified me, Glynda and I rushed over to your location. Of course, we brought along other staff members to help us. Team JNPR sustained mild injuries, other than that, they were safe. But you, Link, seemed like you were _maimed_ by Grimm. What happened?” 

‘I happened. I did that to myself.’ 

Silence. 

Ozpin didn’t press.

“We retrieved your things,” he motioned to the tiny bag on the drawer, “but some items were stolen.” Ozpin’s voice sounded cold. Tired.

_Great._ Link reached over to grab his bag, despite the pain. Ozpin stopped him.

“If you keep straining your arms, they might not heal.”

‘They’ll heal. This is nothing new.’

“You shouldn’t act so recklessly.” 

‘You shouldn’t be so irresponsible.’ Link shot back.

Ozpin froze, muttering something under his breath. Link ignored him, in favor of getting his bag. He opened it. 

He wasn’t happy. 

Food? Gone.

Potions? Gone. 

Materials? Supplies? Gone.

Fairies? Gone.

Bows and arrows. Gone. 

Weapons. One remained. The Master Sword.

Clothes? All but one disappeared. The armor that Mipha made for him was still there. 

He choked, desperately trying to breathe. He was shaking. 

_Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone._

The beeping sped up again.

“Mr. Dorephan.” 

Link stared at him. Angry. Panicked. 

‘It’s your fault.’

Ozpin hummed.

‘This is your-’

“I am aware, Mr. Dorephan.” 

His voice was sharp and filled with regret.

“I am _aware._ ” 

Minutes slowly went by. 

‘How long have I been here, Ozpin?’

“Five weeks.”

_Five weeks? That’s quite a long time._

“I’m told that you went into numerous surgeries.”

Link raised an eyebrow. 

‘That’s kind of unnecessary. I can heal myself.’

“At the time, no, you wouldn’t be able to.” 

A long stretch of silence occurred. 

“Because, when we arrived at the hospital, you were originally pronounced dead.” 

_I’m sorry, what?_

“Blood loss, broken bones, a mass amount of fatal injuries. It was quite clear to us that your condition was, for lack of a better term, more than grave.”

Ozpin’s gaze scared Link. At first, he thought Ozpin’s eyes were empty, emotionless. He was wrong. The man’s eyes held what seemed to be a world of endless mistakes, decisions and agony. Link swallowed thickly.

‘It’s not that big of a deal?’

“Link.” He said, slowly. So slowly, like a warning.

Ozpin’s calm demeanor snapped in two. His posture became stiff. His face was almost unreadable, but Link could tell. Ozpin’s neutral expression briefly cracked. Fury. 

“ _Link._ ”

He only said his name.

Ozpin’s voice had some sort of power to it.

It was terrifying. 

Shivers went down his spine.

His body felt way too warm.

‘I’m sorry.’

He didn’t know if he was more angry or scared of this man. 

“I did not mean to frighten you, I was only worried.”

_Worried? That wasn’t worry. That was rage._

‘It’s fine.’

Ozpin gave him a dubious look. Link returned it.

‘So, how did I un-die?’

Ozpin replied with a tiny smile on his face, “Un-die?”

‘Yeah.’ 

“You revived yourself. It did not heal most of your injuries, however.” 

Link narrowed his eyes. 

_Mipha didn't heal everything like she normally would. Is it because she already used her Grace on me? Or is it because of how weak I was?_

Thinking about it gave him a headache.

‘Cool. Is there anything else I need to know?’

“I advise that you do not to push your body.”

Link glared at him, ‘Doesn’t matter. I do it all the time.’

Ozpin didn’t return his nasty glare. He just stared at him, disapprovingly. 

‘Don’t look at me like that!’ 

“I don’t think it is wrong of me to be concerned about you.”

‘Piss off.’

Ozpin raised his eyebrow, “You do understand that I am the head of Beacon Academy?” 

‘I. Am. In. The. Hospital. Because. Of. _You._ ’

“Fair enough.” Ozpin sighed. The man changed topics rather quickly.

“Beacon Academy has three new students.” 

‘Oh?’

“They seem to be rather experienced as well.”

‘And?’

“Those three have taken a liking to you.”

_What? They don’t even know who I am. Why would they- Wait. Three people. Experienced. Maybe I’m paranoid, but what if these guys are- No, that’s stupid._

‘They’re weird, then. I’m not that interesting.’ 

Ozpin laughed quietly, “I assure you, Mr. Dorephan, that you are quite popular in Beacon Academy.”

‘It’s because of team RWBY, isn’t it?’ Link had a sly smile on his face. 

Ozpin played along and nodded, “It seems so.”

‘I _knew_ it.’ 

“Oh, you are required to attend physical therapy.” Ozpin added as an afterthought. Link nodded. He didn’t care anymore. 

“Take care, Mr. Dorephan.” Ozpin said as he stood up. The gray haired man opened the door and left. 

_Finally. He’s gone. Alright, I’ve been stuck here for five weeks. My limbs are broken. Most of my things have vanished. I have too many questions and only a few answers._

Link stared at his bandaged hands. He sighed. The boy tried to curl his fingers into fists to no avail. He huffed. 

He stared at the balloon, then the drawer. He outstretched his arm, clawing at the handles. He pulled it, opening the compartment. His Sheikah Slate and Scroll were inside. _That was worth the pain!_

He closed his eyes. _Why didn’t Mipha heal me completely? Can she heal me now? What am I supposed to do about my missing weapons? My clothes? What about these three mystery students? Are they Bridget and her brothers? Or are they assassins? Do they know who I really am?_

_I can’t._

He growled under his breath. 

_Mipha?_

_‘Link! You’re awake.’_

_You sound worried._

_‘I am!’_

_You usually don’t yell, after all._

_‘I’m not yelling.’_

He laughed softly, _I believe you. Anyway, I have a few questions._

_‘Yes?’_

_What happened to me? I mean, I know that my body wasn’t in the best shape during the fight, but how did I die?_

_‘I hurt you. I broke you apart, it’s my fault.’_

_Mipha._

_‘I’m so-’_

_Mipha! Listen, it was my idea in the first place. I was the one to push you into doing that. Instead of blaming yourself, just tell me what happened, okay? I won’t get angry, I won’t blame you._

_‘I understand. It was after Revali severed the connection. You were already unstable and vulnerable. Bridget got a hold over your mangled body. The chloroform, or the napkin, along with your wounds killed you. I couldn’t use my Grace for a second time. I waited. The Champions waited. It took almost a day to use it again.’_

_What happened next?_

_‘I decided to only revive you. I did not heal any external injuries.’_

_How come?_

_‘It is selfish of me, but I wanted to give you a lesson.’_

_A lesson?_

_‘Please don’t rely on us too much, Link. The scars you have on your body should serve as a reminder and result of that battle. I apologize.’_

_I don’t think you are being selfish, you’re just trying to look out for me. That being said, I’ll let these injuries heal on their own._

_‘Thank you, Link. I will always try my best to protect you.’_

_You’re welcome, Mipha._

He wondered if he should talk to the other Champions. He laughed softly, imagining Revali nagging and yelling at him for being so _stupid._ Urbosa would’ve teased him, only to scold him for his rash decisions. Daruk would definitely worry too much. 

He felt guilty, though. 

Link frowned as he thought of JNPR. He failed them. He didn’t protect them, like a hero would do. He fought for himself, allowing JNPR to get hurt. He didn’t do a thing. They probably blamed him. They should. 

Hours passed.

He saw something _interesting_ by the door. A person with sunglasses peeked through the window. The person opened the door. 

It was Yang. Instead of her usual outfit, she wore a yellow trench coat, blue jeans and brown sneakers. She took out a plastic toy horn from her pocket as the rest of team RWBY filed in. Ruby, Weiss and Blake carried colorful paper bags. Yang squeezed the black rubber sphere at the end of the horn. It made a noise. Soon enough, Yang created a symphony with the toy. A grin was on her face. Ruby hummed along. Link smiled.

“What was the point of that, Yang?” Weiss asked.

“Fanfare, Weiss-cream!” Yang replied. 

Ruby laughed. Yang put the horn away, then lowered her sunglasses.

“I guess you can say, the sister beater has been _beaten._ ” 

Weiss gave her a pointed look, “That pun was in poor taste.” 

“It was a _great_ pun, right Link?” 

Link shrugged. 

“Link, you’re killing me, here!”

The boy laughed softly. Ruby walked forward, presenting the bag in her hands, “We got stuff for you! I hope you like them.”

Link nodded. _It’s nice of them to give me gifts._

“How do you feel, Link?” Blake calmly asked.

_Horrible with a side of anger._

He gave her a bright smile and a thumbs up. Blake offered a small smile back. Link felt a little bad for lying. 

No one seemed to notice, although Ruby eyed him a little weirdly.

Yang smiled, “Not _only_ did we get gifts, but we also brought a special guest!”

_Special guest?_

Yang slowly unbuttoned the trench coat, revealing her regular outfit and a cute little bird.

Button. The bird immediately flew over to Link. He chirped and hopped around him. Button waddled up to Link’s head and rubbed at it. After messing and pecking at Link’s hair, the bird flew down to his shoulder. He began chirping up a storm. _He sounds frantic, or worried, maybe judgmental?_ Link smiled, then burst out laughing.

Button stopped and looked at Link. He puffed up his feathers and let out a shrill squawk. Link and Blake flinched from the sound. 

Link tried to move his arm but was stopped by another shrill chirrup. The bird traveled to Link’s hand and repeatedly jumped on it. Link got the message. _Alright then, no moving!_

Ruby laughed, “Aw, Button is taking care of you! That’s so cute.”

Link nodded. Yang snickered loudly.

“Button is now Mama bird, huh?” 

“Yang, stop!” Weiss snapped. Yang laughed hard. Link rolled his eyes. 

“You know, we were pretty worried and scared.” Ruby softly spoke.

_I don’t want to hear this._

Ruby blinked in confusion as she innocently asked, “What’s that look for?” 

He must have looked annoyed, or frustrated. 

“Why don’t we talk about something else?” Weiss asked.

“That’s a great idea, Weiss!” Ruby cheerfully replied. Weiss huffed while she covered her blushing face.

“I know _just_ the topic! The weird trio that showed up!” Yang announced. 

“Are we really going to gossip about people, Yang?” Blake asked in a disapproving tone.

“Yes.” Yang said. 

_This at least gives me information, so it isn’t bad._

“They seem kind of nice!” Ruby supplied.

“They are not.” Blake said.

“Blake!” Ruby whined.

“It’s true. They don’t really talk to other people but themselves.” 

“That doesn’t make them mean, Blake.” Ruby retorted. 

“I overheard them a few times. They definitely do not like us.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with us?” Ruby asked with a small pout. The girl seemed rather crushed. _She must have liked this trio._

“One of them thinks we’re too happy.” Blake said.

Yang snorted, “Maybe they should learn how to be happy before judging us.”

“It does _not_ work like that, Yang.” Weiss sharply replied.

Yang shrugged. 

Link tuned them out. 

“He looks kind of out of it.” Blake pointed out. 

“Feel better, Link!” 

Link nodded as they put the bags by the chair. Ruby waved him goodbye. The rest of team RWBY waved, as well. Link smiled. 

“I totally forgot! JNPR is here, too!” Ruby added right before they left. 

Link wanted to curse. 

A split second later, and JNPR was outside his door. They walked in. 

Link didn’t want to look at them. 

He didn’t want to hear them. 

He blinked away the tears that appeared out of nowhere.

“Hello, Link.” Pyrrha gently said. Link didn’t respond. Button pecked his bandaged finger. He reluctantly waved. 

“We’re _fine,_ there’s nothing to worry about, Linky!” Nora said, as if she knew exactly how he felt. Ren nodded in agreement. 

“You did your best to protect us.” Jaune added. Link scowled.

_I did my best? That wasn’t my best if they got hurt. Why can’t I just be the hero I’m supposed to be?_

Jaune yelped, then muttered an apology.

“You totally did, Linky!”

Link shook his head. 

Jaune walked up to him. His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowed. He looked determined. 

“ _Stop_ blaming yourself.” 

Those three words broke him apart. It didn’t make sense, the words didn’t make any sense to him, but _something_ clicked in his head.

_Stop. Blaming. Yourself._

He didn’t notice that Jaune was still talking.

“You don’t have to beat yourself up for this! We’re _alive!_ ” Jaune shouted.

That was all he heard. 

Jaune was red in the face.

_He must have been talking for a long time._

Link stared at the rest of JNPR. They looked bewildered. Pyrrha glanced at Link, then to Jaune. 

“Jaune?” Pyrrha gently called.

“Huh?” 

The determined look from before, disappeared. 

“Link is crying.” Pyrrha replied.

_What? When did that even happen?_

He felt tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Group hug, commence!” Nora yelled. She _almost_ tackled the boy in a crushing hug. The rest of JNPR joined in. 

Link sobbed. He gasped for air. 

But he smiled through the tears. It was a small but genuine smile.


	22. update

Hey hey!

I'm sorry that I haven't uploaded any chaps over the summer, but I'm currently writing a new chapter today.


	23. The New Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link goes back to school and meets three new friends!

Link was finally released from the hospital. Although his arms and legs were practically useless until three months, he couldn’t sit still. So, instead of resting and relaxing, Link decided to participate in school. Many teachers advised him not to push himself, but it fell on deaf ears. They gave him crutches, since Link didn’t listen to their pleas.

Link sighed. _Today is my first day back in class._

He glanced at his Scroll. 5:30 AM. _I might as well get ready._ He rolled out of bed with his red blanket wrapped around him. Button chirped and pecked at his face. Link struggled to remove the blanket off of him. Button flew towards his closet. The boy groaned in pain as he shakily stood up. He grabbed the crutches that leaned against his bed. Despite wobbling, he made it to the wooden closet. Button chirped and tried to open the door. Link chuckled. He carefully opened his closet. There was a Beacon Academy uniform inside. He took it.

Without any help whatsoever, he managed to change into the uniform. It took him thirty minutes. He smiled tiredly.

Button flew down to the floor and waddled near Link’s bag. He chirped, getting Link’s full attention. Link tilted his head. The bird picked up the bag and brought it to Link. He smiled and lightly pat Button’s head. The bird bobbed his head and danced around. 

_I wonder if the classroom door is open at this time._

Button flew onto Link’s head and quietly chirped. Link walked up to his door and opened it. He left.

Link made it to his first period class. It took forever to get there. He waited by the door for a few minutes. He saw two familiar faces head toward Professor Port’s classroom. Arin and Dan waved at him. Link smiled. Arin made his way near the door and opened it. He covered his mouth with his hand and feigned shock.

“Oh _no,_ the door somehow opened by itself.”

Dan snorted as he walked inside the classroom. Link laughed softly before going inside. Arin followed suit, closing the door behind him. The three boys sat in their seats. As usual, Dan and Arin began talking.

Out of nowhere, Dan started laughing. Arin rose his eyebrow.

“Is it updog?”

“What?” Dan shakily replied.

“You’re laughing ‘cause of updog?” Arin questioned.

“What are you saying, dude?”

“Updog?”

“What is up, dog?”

Arin grinned at him. He clapped as he laughed. He banged his head against the desk, struggling to breathe.

“I’ve _never_ gotten that to work! Oh, my god.”

“Are you proud of yourself, Arin?” 

“ _Yes._ ”

Arin looked up to see a smiling and giggling Dan. Arin snorted. 

“Anyway, what were you laughing about?” Arin asked.

“ _Well,_ ” he drawled, “remember when we played that stick figure game?”

“Uh-huh?”

Dan chuckled, “According to you, _you’re_ the video game boy, _you’re_ the one who wins.”

Arin laughed. Tears were in his eyes.

“ _Dude._ You know it!”

“Do I really, Arin?” 

“Shut up, Dan!”

“I mean, I did win _several_ times in that game.”

Arin sputtered, “Yeah, whatever.”

“Don’t be a _Salty Sandra._ ”

“A what?”

“A Salty Sandra.”

“I am _not_ being salty, Dan. You’re being a Judgmental Jacob!”

Dan’s eyes widened. He gasped, pretending to be offended. 

“ _Bescuse_ me? You don’t know my life.”

“Be- _what?_ ” 

The sound of Arin’s laughter grew louder. He started to snort. His laughter was pretty contagious, as Dan joined in.

“ _Dan,_ please.”

“Oh, boy. That was great.” 

The bell rung. Students and Professor Port filed in. The students sat in their seats and took out their notebooks. Ruby, including her and Jaune’s team waved at him. Button chirped in response. 

The lesson begun. Ruby softly nudged Link. He turned to her.

“Hey, Link.” Ruby whispered. Link smiled.

“Are you feeling better?” 

He shrugged. Ruby frowned. She looked thoughtful.

“I got it!” She quietly cheered.

“I know how to make you feel better! Weapons!”

Link grinned. Ruby smiled back. She started to enthusiastically talk about different types of guns and other weapons. Button pitched in by chirping. Ruby abruptly stopped. She stared at Link. 

“You still don’t have a weapon, right? Sorry, I probably shouldn’t talk about this stuff.”

Link scoffed. _It doesn’t matter, she should talk about the things she likes. Besides, she’s trying to cheer me up._ He smiled at her. 

She mumbled to herself, lost in her own world. Button flew over to her head.

“Huh?” 

Button chirped.

“I was just thinking of something! I mean, it’s nothing at all.” She laughed awkwardly. Link gave her a curious look.

“Totally nothing! You got that, Link?”

Link nodded with a smile on his face. _What is she even thinking about?_

Ruby started to sketch in her notebook. Button chirped and flew near it. He pecked at the notebook. Button chirped again, looking at Link then to the notebook. 

“You like this one?” 

Button chirped.

Link tried to look at some of her sketches. He was shooed by Button and Ruby. Link pouted. 

“No peeking!” 

Button chirped along. 

_I have been betrayed by my own son._

With nothing much to do, he listened to Professor Port.

“One of you will fight a Grimm.” The man motioned to a cage. The captured Grimm growled loudly. _Well, it’s definitely not me._

The students snapped out of their drowsy haze. They were eager. Link frowned, feeling dejected. Ruby smiled at him.

“Mr. Arc, please come down here.”

Jaune looked nervous as he walked over to the professor. 

“Uh, are you sure? I’m not very-” He didn’t sound confident.

“Nonsense, child!” 

The professor made his way to the cage. He opened it. A Beowolf rushed out. It snarled. Professor Port carefully walked back to his desk. Jaune unsheathed his sword. He grabbed his sheath as it transformed into a shield. He raised the shield up. 

Jaune seemed uncomfortable. _Maybe it’s the stares he’s getting._ He glanced at Link. Questions and doubts were in his eyes. Link grinned at him. Jaune smiled softly. The boy was a bit more relaxed. 

He _strolled_ towards the Grimm. Jaune waited patiently as the Beowolf circled him. The black and white wolf pounced, slamming into Jaune’s leg. The boy reacted quickly, whacking the Grimm with his shield. The beast snarled in agitation, rather than pain. It was briefly stunned. Jaune used this chance to attack. He _almost_ expertly struck the Grimm down. 

Link smiled proudly. As he started training Jaune, he noticed that his swordplay was sloppy at worse and painfully average at best. Sometimes, it took hours for Jaune to _properly_ use a sword. At first, Jaune would hurriedly unsheathe the blade; the sound of steel scraping against steel was horrible. He would also use too much power with multiple swings, effectively tiring himself out. His strikes were often predictable, as well. It was a disaster, but a somewhat organized disaster. Link worked through most of Jaune’s issues, step by step. 

Now, instead of rushing into battle, Jaune focused more on reacting and waiting to an incoming attack. Using the skills he already had, he would plan out his attack and execute it within moments. Each and every strike of his sword was deliberate and firm. When he decided to use raw strength, it was the finishing blow. Although, it would tire him out for a few seconds. He was still a bit predictable, but he tried to switch things up to avoid being figured out. 

The loud sound of growling snapped Link out of his thoughts. 

The Grimm violently clawed at Jaune’s chest. Before the Beowolf’s claws reached him, Jaune used his shield to push the Grimm away. The Grimm stumbled, then regained its footing. The Beowolf rushed at the boy. Jaune kept a straight face as he messily sliced its left hand off. The Grimm howled as its hand dissolved into black smoke. Link wasn’t sure if it was capable of feeling pain, but it did seem angrier. 

Jaune stood in place for a second, to see what the Grimm would do. It instantly ran up to him. Link noted that it was much more aggressive. 

The Beowolf outstretched its right arm and slashed at Jaune’s neck. The Grimm’s attack was too quick to react to, as Jaune barely managed to dodge. His collar and part of his uniform was ripped. A small amount of blood formed around his neck before it automatically healed. 

_He’s getting better at maintaining his Aura, too._ According to Pyrrha, the boy never even heard of Aura. Link didn’t get the big deal until he compared it to weapons. Everyone in Hyrule knew what bows and swords were. They had to. 

Link shook that last thought away, instead choosing to focus on Jaune’s progress once again. He was impressed. Jaune practiced using his Aura until it became second nature. He then resorted to using it as a weapon or shield when he was defenseless. Jaune had his moments where it was difficult to constantly use his Aura, as it was massive, as stated by Pyrrha. Other than that, he was good.

Of course, he hasn’t mastered these skills, yet, so he still had much to learn.

Link watched as Jaune alternated between rapid strikes and slow but powerful swings. The Grimm struggled to retaliate; flailing about. It dropped to the ground. Jaune rammed the blade into the Grimm’s body.

It turned into smoke, leaving Jaune winded. The boy panted. He glanced at Link, who smiled. 

Professor Port, including a few students clapped. Button chirped along, too. The teacher praised Jaune as he walked back to his seat. His team excitedly spoke to him; Nora being the loudest. Jaune blushed in embarrassment.

The bell rang. Students packed their bags, rushing out the door. Professor Port shook his head. 

Link, with Button in tow, walked to class. Professor Oobleck recapped the previous lesson with astonishing speed. A fight for faunus equality turned sour. The White Fang.

History class abruptly ended. It gave him whiplash. 

Ruby waited by the door, waving when she saw him walking out. Link grinned as Button chirped out a greeting. They walked to AP Weapons class. Ruby animatedly talked to him, occasionally waving her arms to express something. 

“I wonder what we’re gonna learn today!” 

Link shrugged in response. Ruby frowned. Link rose an eyebrow.

“Nothing! Nothing.” 

Link didn’t push. 

The duo (technically trio) entered the room. They were greeted by Thomas. After the students sat in their seats, the lesson began. Thomas went on to explain the history of classic weapons while extensively covering modern day weapons. He spoke of pros and cons, a personal connection to a weapon and different things. He proposed several questions to the class, typing away when students spoke up. Ruby quietly called Thomas over. She intentionally lowered her voice so Link couldn’t hear. Thomas nodded to something she said and glimpsed at the Hylian. Ruby’s mouth moved rapidly. Link could make out the words: “Thank you!” 

Thomas smiled at the enthusiastic grin Ruby wore. He returned to his laptop. He continued his lesson until the bell rang. 

For some strange reason, Link slipped out of the room before Ruby noticed. Normally, he’d wait for team RWBY and JNPR to pack up. It was out of character for him to just _leave._

Button chirped in concern. Link softly shushed him. The little bird was so attentive, it was cute. 

The Hylian wandered away from the crowded hallway. He propped himself up, leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes. 

He heard three sets of footsteps. The clicking sound of high heels drowned out the almost silent hallway. The other two footsteps were light, as if they didn’t exist. That unnerved him. The members of the Yiga Clan had a loud entrance; giggling like hyenas while appearing in a cloud of smoke or disguising themselves, that was true, but their movements were _always_ quiet. 

Link bit his lip. Even if he _had_ a weapon, he couldn’t use it right here. Button cooed at him, trying to calm Link down. He clenched his fist around his crutch as the footsteps got closer. 

Link opened his eyes. He regret it. Flashes of vindictive amber eyes assaulted his head. He stared at the trio impassively. Button stepped in, chirping up a storm. A flash of annoyance crossed their faces.

A woman with ashen black hair and bright amber eyes stared back at him. Her fingernails were painted dark red. She wore the Beacon Academy uniform. The smile she had on her face terrified him. She grinned as if she found a new prey, as if she knew who he really was. Her eyes were filled to the brim with greed. 

He looked away, glancing at the other two. 

To the woman’s right was a dark skinned girl. Her ruby red eyes scrutinized him, searching for _something._ She had light mint green hair with a straight fringe and bangs, as well as two long strands on each side. Like the woman, she wore the school issued uniform. The girl also wore two bronze rings, a gold three ring armband and a string of gold beads on her wrist. 

The boy on the woman’s left was pale. He had silver-gray hair, partially slicked back and messy at the front. His gray eyes were thin. He wore an unkempt uniform. He looked cocky, as a smirk was present on his face. 

_They’re real. They’re real. They’re real._

He panicked. His heart beat loudly in his ears. He struggled to breathe. He was doomed. He didn’t know what to do. Play dumb? Walk away? 

If he played dumb, he was sure that they would see right through him. 

He knew that the woman wouldn’t let him escape, either. 

Link recalled what RWBY said about these new “kids.”

Being nice could work, but it would only serve to _annoy_ them. That’s not what he wants. Link wanted them to stay _far_ away. 

He stopped, remembering how he acted before waking up. He refused to speak to anyone, and if he did, his words were short. After his parents’ death, he bottled his negative emotions, closing himself off. He became cold and emotionless, like a blank canvas. He stopped smiling and laughing. He did things automatically, without feeling. Meeting Mipha helped, she brought out genuine happiness from him. But he forgot. He _forgot_ about the Champions, about Zelda, about himself. He felt like a oblivious child, running around without a care in the world. That somewhat changed when he met the king of Hyrule. 

On the surface, he was childish. His past self lurked inside, locked and guarded. 

He sighed, coming to a decision.

Link rose his eyebrow. 

“I’ve heard many things about you.” 

Her voice was full of pride. She spoke like Bridget, using a seductive yet sinister tone. She _screamed_ dangerous. 

Link’s face remained unreadable. He stared at the woman, with his eyebrow still raised. 

“You’re the _boy_ with two Semblances, right?” 

He could simply say no, as he promised Mipha that he wouldn’t use the Champion abilities. 

Link shook his head. The woman scoffed.

“Don’t play dumb, Link.” 

Button let out a series of low, distressed chirps. The woman paid no attention to the angry bird. Link frowned. 

“You have _exactly_ what I want, and I intend to take it.” 

He knew what she meant, what she _craved._ The Champion abilities. It was obvious that she was power hungry. He didn’t feel threatened. He couldn’t. He was using his old defense mechanism, after all. 

Link shrugged. The woman sneered at him. The silver haired boy snickered as the other girl glared at him. 

“What? This is _hilarious._ ” 

The girl gave him a pointed look.

“I’m sure that you’re smart enough to figure out why I want ‘your’ power.”

_‘Your’ power. She knows. What do I do?_

Link shook his head again.

The woman clicked her tongue, “What, you want me to simply _tell_ you? I didn’t take you for a fool.” 

He nodded.

The girl on her right stepped in. She narrowed her eyes.

“Stop playing games!” 

Link shrugged. The girl, for a moment, seemed furious. She smirked. 

The trio vanished. Zelda appeared before him. Her entire body was covered in mud and dirt. Her face and arms were marred with cuts. The pure _dread_ in her green eyes tore him apart. She trembled, crumbling to the ground.

“I’m sorry.” 

She sounded _broken._ Just as destroyed when the Champions fell. Just as shattered when the Guardians killed thousands, bringing Hyrule to its knees. 

“I’m _so_ sorry. I’ve failed them; Daruk, Revali, Mipha and Urbosa. I couldn’t do anything! I still can’t-!” 

She wailed. 

It reminded him of the fall of Hyrule. They ran. Guardians found them. Nearly killed him. 

He couldn’t breathe anymore. 

The pitiful noises from Zelda increased when he heard the unmistakable sound of _beeping._ Painfully loud beeping. He closed his eyes tightly. Waiting.

He knew he would die. 

He thought he heard something burst. 

He opened his eyes. Link found himself on the floor, gasping for air. Tears blurred his vision. He curled into himself. 

“Link! What happened? Link, please.”

_A high pitched voice?_

_Who?_

Something held on to him. He flinched. He felt trapped. Link couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak. There was no-

“It’s me, Ruby.”

_Ruby. Ruby?_

“R-Remember when you met me? In Emerald forest?” They sounded frantic.

_What? Where?_

They muttered something under their breath.

“Look at me?” 

_What if I see Zelda again? What if I die?_

He hesitated. Link stared. 

Silver eyes stared back at him. 

He grinned like a maniac. 

_I’m alive. I’m alive. Not in Hyrule. Remnant. Beacon Academy._

Ruby gave him a shaky smile. The girl picked up his crutches, putting it against the wall. She gently helped Link up.

A bird chirped at them. _Button._ It took Link a few seconds to recognize him.

“Let’s go, okay?” 

Link was unresponsive.

“Link?”

He made a sound. The Hylian leaned into Ruby. The girl walked carefully as she carried the crutches in one arm.

Link missed the unsettled look he received from dark red eyes.


	24. A Challenger Approaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mint haired girl from before, tries to get close to Link. 
> 
> She joins in a food fight.

A week passed. The woman, Cinder, and her little crew silently hounded Link; stalking or watching him when he was around people, and sometimes they would pull him away from his friends or just invade his space. Cinder would give him threatening glances, here and there. She had her eyes on him, for the _whole_ week. Strangely enough, the mint haired girl _never_ approached him. She would stare at him from afar with a guilty look in her eyes. She never interrogated him, unlike Cinder who would attempt to force out answers from Link. Whenever he saw the mint haired girl in passing, she would grimace then ignore him. 

Aside from Cinder targeting him, Ruby and Button continued to act odd as well. It worried him. 

Link shook his head, clearing his thoughts. _No point in reflecting on the week. Today’s a new day, anyway._

The Hylian got ready for his first class, taking out a notebook and pencil. Professor Port started his lesson, causing almost everyone to nod off. 

_Almost._

Cinder and her little entourage stayed awake. The three _students_ switched their classes according to Link’s schedule, the week after he got back. Thankfully, they couldn’t be in all his classes. 

Link frowned. He tried to distract himself by listening to the professor. The lesson didn’t exactly calm his nerves. 

He glanced at Ruby, who was sketching and writing in her notebook. _She’s been doing that lately._

Ruby never let him see her drawings at all. He stopped trying after he was shooed away multiple times.

Link sighed, thinking about the situation he was currently in.

_Cinder is still tailing me. She hasn’t given up in the slightest. Silence doesn’t work on her. She just goads me into answering, which doesn’t help her because I can’t speak. She even sits at our table at lunch, just to set me off. I don’t want to tell Ozpin. If I can deal with assassins, then I can deal with them. Hopefully._

_Cinder is troublesome, so is her other lackey, Mercury. But that other girl, she’s different? Something is up with her._

Link wished that they wanted nothing from him. That wouldn’t be possible, though. 

The boy spent the whole class period, thinking. Button tried to get his attention. He walked out as soon as the bell rung. Jaune ran after him.

“Hey, Link! Slow down, please.” 

If he slowed down, the trio (duo, rather) will catch up to him. He shook his head. Jaune groaned before matching his speed.

“What’s the rush, man?”

Link shot him an annoyed look. He briefly pointed to the trio that lingered near Professor Port’s classroom door.

“Right, uh, sorry. They kind of seem like--I don’t know, obsessed fans?”

Link scoffed. _That would be better than planning out ways to kill me._

“You really don’t like them.”

_Understatement of the century, Jaune._

Link shrugged.

“I mean, they are a little weird, but-”

Link glared at him. 

“Okay, maybe they’re big weirdos.” Jaune suggested.

The Hylian gave him a withering look. _That isn’t any better._

They headed to History class in silence. The two boys sat in their seats. More students went inside, including the mint haired girl. He wasn’t exactly jumpy around her, but he was still uncomfortable. 

The lesson began with quick enthusiasm. As much as Link enjoyed learning about Remnant, he couldn’t focus. Not with ruby eyes boring holes into his head. He didn’t look back.

For some reason, this girl scared him more than Cinder did. He knew that Cinder was actively trying to find answers and kill him in the process, but this girl, Emerald, was an enigma. He doesn’t know what she wants from him. He doesn’t know what her plans are. 

It bothered him. 

Jaune nudged him. 

“You okay?”

Link absentmindedly nodded. Jaune stared at him. 

Button chirped softly. Link put his head down.

History class whizzed by. He didn’t learn anything, sadly. 

The boy speed walked out the door. Someone tapped his shoulder, stopping him. He swiftly turned around.

It was the girl. He gave her a questioning look. Link watched her. The girl looked anxious, shifting her weight and crossing her arms. Her eyes shone with remorse. She abruptly stopped, trying to steel herself. To the naked eye, she seemed fine; neutral, almost. But Link was good with reading people. Since he never spoke, he decided to observe others. 

It was clear how she felt. Guilty. 

Button let out a low distressed chirp.

The mint haired girl clenched her fist, “I’m _sorry_ for last week.”

_Last week. Right. I hallucinated. It happened out of nowhere, too. She smirked at me, just before I “saw” Zelda._

He wanted to hear it from her, rather than jump to conclusions. He feigned confusion.

“I did it,” she mumbled, “I can create hallucinations.”

He narrowed his eyes. He waited for an explanation.

“Your _eyes._ ”

He rose his eyebrow.

“I just, ugh! You were a brick wall, and then,” she trailed off, “horrified.”

“I’ve never seen that before.” She said under her breath.

_A pity party with one guest? Great._

Button stopped chirping. 

Link didn’t want to strain his arms and hands by writing, so he settled for an irritated look. 

“I want to make it up, I guess.”

He glared at her. _How and why?_

“I want to get to know you.” 

Alarm bells rang loudly in Link’s head. Button _screeched._ She winced, realizing how that sounded. 

“Not like Cinder. I’m just curious.” 

He didn’t trust the sound of her voice. Even though she sounded genuine, he was still suspicious. He looked directly into her eyes. Guilt, intrigue and _hope_ swirled in her eyes like a dangerous storm.

She held out her hand. He didn’t take it.

“I’m Emerald. Emerald Sustrai.” 

With that, she walked to her class. Link went to his.

He arrived a little late to class. The conversation weighed heavily on his mind. 

_What does she want with me? Does she really want to know me? As a friend? Or does she have a motive behind this? A spy or a real friend? I hope it’s neither._

He was spacing out, as he walked past the professor without smiling or waving at him. He really liked this class, he was engaged from the very beginning. He even liked his professor. 

Link sat in his seat. Unfocused.

Too anxious of Emerald. 

His mind was a mess. Filled with tangled strings, broken glass and ash. It was never a happy place. The sun vanished, leaving him to chase after it. His mind was swarmed with doubts, fears, and self-hate. 

For the third time that day, he blanked out. 

He felt someone tap him. He blinked. 

It was Ruby. _She had things on her mind, too._

“Are you-”

_Okay?_

He nodded with a smile on his face. 

He wasn’t. He really didn’t feel okay.

“That’s good! We were all so worried about you.”

He looked sheepish. 

He was lucky that Ruby was so easy to fool. Then again, he did feel bad.

“I’ve got a surprise for you, Link!”

He was grateful that Ruby changed the subject. She usually bounced from topic to topic, anyway.

He was also interested. _Does this surprise have to do with the sketches?_

“Meet me here, after school.”

_Cryptic._

Link nodded. Button chirped. 

The boy realized that the classroom was almost empty. Thomas and Ruby were the only ones still inside. 

The two students left for the cafeteria. They were greeted by loud chaos, students chattering and laughing. The sounds melded into a garbled mess. The three members of RWBY, including JNPR sat at a table. Ruby raced towards the group with a grin.

“Guys, hi!”

Weiss smiled at her, while the two teams said hello. 

Link took his time, he was still injured, after all. 

Everyone brightened once Link got closer to their table. He was bombarded by Yang and Nora yelling at him.

“Linky!”

“Hey Link!”

He smiled at them. He sat down. 

For a moment, he was fine. Being near these people; his new friends, made him happy. 

He looked around, spotting Cinder and Mercury. They sat a few tables away. 

Link saw Emerald sitting alone. The girl met his eyes. He waved her over. Her eyes widened in shock. She got up and cautiously made her way to the table. RWBY and JNPR waved rapidly at her.

Emerald raised her hand in a quiet greeting. She looked overwhelmed, as if she wasn’t used to the attention. The two teams excitedly conversed; joking around and yelling. Blake, Weiss, Ren and Pyrrha calmly spoke to each other. Emerald watched with slight annoyance. Link glanced at her. She gave him a frustrated look. 

Nora looked between both teams with a wide grin. Ren smiled ever so softly at the girl. 

“Food fight!” Nora hollered. 

Everyone around them looked up. Nora smirked as she grabbed a tray full of food. The girl threw it right in Weiss’ face. The white haired girl sputtered. The tray clattered to the ground. Weiss wiped her face and glared at Nora. In response, Nora stuck her tongue out. Weiss glanced around the room until she found a swordfish lying on the floor. It was a few feet away. 

“Ruby! Let’s work together!” Weiss ordered her. Ruby smiled and vaulted off the table. The bubbly girl led Weiss by the hand and ran quickly. Ruby picked up the swordfish and handed it to Weiss. The young girl picked up five trays as well. 

“Weiss, use your glyphs on the trays!” 

Ruby pulled her arm back and began to launch the trays into the air. While the trays were still airborne, Weiss created three small black glyphs behind the trays. 

“Now, Weiss!” 

The white haired girl firmly nodded and sent the trays flying. One of them hit Jaune right in the forehead. He fell out of his seat with a groan.

“I’m okay!” 

The rest were stopped by Pyrrha's Semblance. She hurled them right back. Ruby dashed out of the way, as Weiss rolled. 

Nora grabbed a thin wooden beam and a watermelon. She stuck the melon into the beam. She rushed up to Weiss and Ruby, giggling like a maniac. The girl swung hard. Weiss tumbled to the floor. She slowed herself down with her black glyphs. Ruby once again, ran out of the way.

Ruby let out a childish growl. She puffed up her cheeks. The girl grabbed more trays. She threw them at Nora. The girl whacked the plates away. 

“Ruby, do you have any _other_ ideas?”

“Yeah, I got one! Steal Nora’s weapon and use a glyph on me when I jump, then tag team her!”

Weiss nodded. The girl ran towards Nora. 

Ren stepped in front of Nora. He held a leek in each hand. The boy dashed, smacking Weiss with the leeks. Weiss avoided the attacks.

“Oh, _thank_ you, my king!” Nora yelled cheerfully. A faint blush colored Ren’s cheeks.

“Please don’t call me that.” The boy muttered. Nora laughed.

Ruby stared at the leeks in Ren’s hands. 

“Hand over the leeks and no one gets hurt!” 

Weiss snickered under her breath. Ren blinked. He shrugged, handing one to Ruby. The girl smiled. 

“Renny, why? We could’ve fought to the _death!_ ” Nora wailed. 

“I fight fair, Nora.”

“Boring!”

“Am I boring to you?”

“What? Of course not, Renny! You’re my best friend and -- wait. Are you teasing me, Ren?”

“No.” The boy said with a smile.

Ruby jumped into the air. She locked eyes with Weiss.

“Now!” 

Weiss summoned a black glyph behind Ruby. Her teammate was launched towards Nora and Ren. She let out a high pitched battlecry as she crashed down. Ruby smacked Ren with the leek. The boy backflipped away. 

Ruby zoomed past Ren and hit his back. 

“Not today, Ruby!” Nora yelled.

The orange haired girl attacked Ruby with her makeshift hammer. Ruby dramatically fell onto the floor.

“Weiss, go on without me.” Ruby wheezed, faking a few coughs. Weiss hid her smile and played along. 

“Ruby, no!” 

“It’s okay, Weiss. I’m happy that we were best friends.” 

“Me too.” 

There was a serene smile on Weiss’ face. 

“Bleh! I’m dying.” 

Ruby closed her eyes. Weiss snorted. Nora cackled.

“We beat the leader of team RWBY, Ren!”

“Yes, we did.”

“However, you’ll never beat a Schnee.” Weiss retorted.

Weiss created one glyph after another to get past Nora and Ren. She summoned a glyph to buffer the speed. Weiss found herself in between a new fight. 

Emerald and Blake. 

Blake held a long line of tied hot dogs. She twirled it around with a small flair. 

Emerald had nothing in her hands. She waited.

Blake ran up to her and swung the hot dogs like a lasso. Emerald dodged. Blake attacked her once more. The mint haired girl grabbed onto the hot dogs. Blake created a clone to propel herself towards Emerald. She landed a light punch to Emerald’s shoulder. 

Emerald used her Semblance. Blake’s face scrunched in confusion. She frantically glanced around the cafeteria. Emerald swiftly and quietly moved behind Blake. She nabbed the hot dogs and jumped back. 

The illusion ended. Emerald pulled her arm back and swung. The hot dogs moved like a whip; fast and unrelenting. Blake leapt onto a table, nearly getting hit. She ran on it before using a tray to slide on the table. Emerald chased after her with a joyful grin on her face. It was almost as if she never smiled like this before. 

Blake found a breadstick laying on another table. The girl reached the end of the table and front flipped off. She created a clone to propel herself. She grabbed onto the edge of the table and jumped on it. Blake picked up the breadstick and ripped it in half. She turned around, facing Emerald. She dropped down to the messy floor. Emerald flicked her hand up, then outward in a semi-circle. Blake dodged the hotdog whip. The girl created a clone as she swung the breadsticks. Emerald rapidly swung the hot dogs to parry the attacks. 

In the midst of their battle, Pyrrha stood tall. She stood in the center of chaos; tables were on the floor, food and trays covered the ground. She slowly raised her hand as the metal trays and other objects were sent above her. 

They were pushed at a daunting speed. Multiple people were hit. 

Pyrrha was victorious. She won the battle, but not the war.

A few moments passed. Ozpin and Glynda appeared. The gray haired man stared at the students with a smile, while Glynda fumed with irritation.

After being interrogated, the culprits of this massive food fight were tasked with cleaning duty. Emerald and Jaune stuck around. Jaune felt responsible. Emerald simply enjoyed her time with both teams.

Link sat on a table, watching the nine of them clean up. He chuckled softly as Button chirped, cheering them on.


	25. Afterschool Brainstorming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link gets a new look and weapons.

The two teams and Emerald finished cleaning the cafeteria. It took them two hours. The school day was over. 

Ruby cheerfully walked alongside Link. She spoke about the food fight with a gleam in her eyes. The boy grinned. Button didn’t make a sound.

_It looked like a lot of fun._

The two students, in the blink of an eye, stood in front of Professor Stearns’ door. It was wide open. Ruby knocked on the door, anyway. They stepped inside. Thomas’ head snapped up to the sound. The professor smiled earnestly as he greeted them.

“What’s up, squad?”

Ruby giggled, “We’re okay! We had to clean up the cafeteria.”

“Really, how come?”

Ruby gave her professor a sheepish look, “We might have started a food fight?”

Thomas laughed, “Seems chaotic, but fun.”

“Yeah! It was!” 

“If you don’t mind, I have to grade some work.”

“Alright, Thomas! We won’t bother you.”

The man nodded, opening his laptop and taking out a stack of paper. The sound of light typing filled the air.

Ruby and Link sat at a table, a few feet away from Thomas. Ruby rummaged through her bag and took out her sketch book. She opened it and rapidly turned the pages. She made an ‘ _ah-ha!_ ’ noise when she found the page. She tapped her finger on it.

Button dropped down from Link’s head to the sketch book. The page was covered with different types of weapons and notes. 

It read: ~~Good Weapons for Link?~~ Better Weapons for Link + Ideas!

The sketch book had several sword designs, some being short swords or long swords. Drawings of bows were scattered among the page. A small amount of guns were also on the page.

The notes Ruby made were precise, explaining pros and cons for each weapon type. 

He was grateful. His shoulders shook. A smile formed on his face.

“Link?”

‘Thank you, so much.’ Link wrote on the paper.

Ruby grinned, “You’re welcome!” 

The girl hugged Link. He chuckled. 

“So, I made a bunch of basic designs for you to choose from, I hope you like them!”

Link nodded. He flipped to another page. He stared at the lightly detailed scimitar. The tip of the blade was curved, almost like a hook, while the bottom half was straight. The hilt was wrapped with four pieces of cloth. It also had a small gear and a tiny round sapphire at the butt of the hilt. 

_‘One sword? Dual blades? We’ll figure it out!’_ was written on the bottom of the page.

There were a couple of arrows pointing to small canisters with labels. Red, white, dark blue, light blue, brown, yellow and black-purple Dust.

_Red Dust: Fire_   
_White Dust: Wind_   
_Dark Blue Dust: Water_   
_Light Blue Dust: Ice_   
_Brown Dust: Earth_   
_Yellow Dust: Lightening_   
_Black-Purple Dust: Gravity_

_‘Thanks, Weiss!’_ was written somewhere in the corner. 

 

In another drawing, the hilt was removed. It had one of the canisters inside. The next drawing depicted a glowing scimitar with red Dust inside. 

_'Once the [insert color here] Dust filled hilt is connected to the blade, it will glow softly. It will also have the element. Ex: Red Dust = Fireblade.'_

A curved arrow pointed to the next page. 

It was a bow, or at least Link thought it was. He pointed at it in confusion. 

“Oh, oh, oh! It’s a crossbow!”

_A what?_

“It’s like a bow and a gun mixed together.”

_That’s awesome!_

The crossbow had two scimitars connected by the hilts. The blades were folded and bent in half, making a horizontal bow. A wire was attached to both ends. The gun part, of course, had a trigger and a small handle grip for pulling the wires. _It would increase the force,_ Ruby noted somewhere on the page.

There were two other drawings with blurbs on the side. 

One was the tiny gear. It was pushed into the hilt. _‘Activates crossbow mode.’_

The second drawing had bolts and arrows. _‘Some have Dust in them or explosive tips.’_

_‘Crossbow mode can only use one type of Dust at a time.’_

The third page had a small kite shield. It had no shading whatsoever. _‘Link can design this!’_

Link was buzzing with excitement. Ruby smiled.

“You like these designs?”

Link nodded. 

‘This looks so cool, Ruby!’

“You think so?”

He nodded again.

“Thank you! I worked really hard on them.”

Link hummed in acknowledgement. 

‘I never dual wielded swords before, so I’d like to try.’

“Yay!”

‘I do want to add some things, though. The blade could be silver, while the center is turquoise. The hilt could be teal.. Two pieces of cloth are wrapped around each hilt, instead of four.’ 

“Teal is a nice color! Nothing beats red, though.”

‘Biased.’

“It’s my favorite color!”

‘Exactly.’ 

“Anyway! Continue.”

‘The cloths should be in red, green, yellow and blue.’

“Aren’t those colors on your Scroll?”

He nodded.

‘I have a question about the crossbow.’

“Yeah?” 

‘How is it going to transform?”

“Oh! The gun part could be a gauntlet-thingy? Maybe it has a clicking mechanism to change to a crossbow. So! Just remove the gauntlet, click it, and boom! A crossbow!” 

‘Nice.’

“I just realized!”

‘What?’

“If you connect the hilts, the scimitars become dual glaives!” 

‘Woah!’

“Do you wanna add anything to the swords?”

‘The other scimitar could have a ruby at the hilt.’

“What about the shield?”

He narrowed his eyes. 

‘Dark blue. Three golden triangles, one at the top, two at the bottom left and right. A cut sapphire, emerald, amber and ruby near the center. A light blue and white flower at the very bottom.’

Ruby gushed about the design as she filled in the blank shield. 

“This looks amazing! The colors blend really well together, and the triangles are cool, too.”

He smiled.

“I’m so excited for you, Link!”

_Ruby really is something else._

He hugged her. The small girl blushed. He laughed.

The boy quickly let go.

Ruby stuttered before clearing her throat.

“ _Alright._ So you’ll have two swords that transform into a dual glaive, and a gauntlet -- wait, I forgot the color, sorry, I got too into it!”

‘Black.’

“Okay. A black gauntlet that turns into the gun part of the crossbow. All you have to do is snap the scimitars on the transformed gauntlet. Crossbow Glaive-Scimitar and a shield! Awesome.”

He nodded again.

“We just need a name.”

_A name, huh?_

_I have nothing in mind._

_Wait._

_The scimitar with the sapphire hilt will be called Legacy. The other one is Truth. The shield’s name is Silent Champion._

He wrote the names on the sketchbook. Ruby clapped softly. 

“We did it!”

She high fived him. The girl stood up and walked over to Thomas. They spoke. She came back to her seat.

“He’s gonna make the scimitars and shield. I’ll make the crossbow!”

‘How long will it take?’

“A month or two, I think.”

‘Got it.’

“We might add a little stuff, if that’s okay.”

He grinned, ‘Such as?’

“Not telling!” 

He pouted.

There was a knock at the door. Weiss and Yang peeked their heads in.

“Hey sis, hey Link!” 

“Good afternoon.” Weiss simply said.

Ruby waved. 

“Mind if we steal Link from you?”

“Why?”

“Clothes shopping!” Yang replied. 

Ruby blinked, “Uh, sure?”

Yang smirked, walking up to Link’s chair. She pulled the seat. The girl gently grabbed his arms and carefully dragged him out the door. Weiss picked up his crutches.

Button didn’t follow.

“Was that really necessary, Yang?”

“No, but it was fun.”

“Of _course_ it was.” Weiss sarcastically replied. 

Yang helped Link up. Weiss gave his crutches back. 

The trio left Beacon Academy and headed for the city. Weiss and Yang bickered goodnaturedly. The blonde messed with her, joking around, while Weiss tried and failed to make puns. Link laughed at them. 

“Hey, Link, what kind of outfit do you want?” Yang asked with a lazy smile.

He shrugged. 

“Would you like something practical?” Weiss suggested. Link wasn’t sure.

“‘Prim and proper’ doesn’t fit him, Weiss-cream.”

“Excuse me? Are you calling my fashion taste _too_ fancy?”

“What I’m trying to say, is that he needs that _wild_ feel, you know?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“He has his own taste, and you have yours.”

Weiss nodded.

_Yang is right, but it doesn’t hurt to try something new._

The trio walked into a large clothing store. It apparently had armor, too. Yang snickered. 

“What are you laughing about?” Weiss asked.

Yang whispered something to Weiss, who rolled her eyes. 

“We will help you find some clothes.” Weiss announced. With those words, the two sped off.

“We’ll be right back!” Yang said as she ran. 

_This might not go well._

Ten minutes passed. They came back with clothes over their arms. 

Weiss held overly fancy outfits in her arms. Link saw various shades of green and blue. One of the outfits was a green tailcoat. It wasn’t something he’d wear all the time.

Yang brought strange outfits. She kept giggling. Link didn’t want to know.

“Like I said, Weiss finds this attire,” she motioned to the clothes Weiss held, “ _apeeling._ ” 

“Really, Yang?”

“Yes.”

Weiss turned to Link, “I’m assuming that you don’t like what we picked.”

He sheepishly nodded. 

“No worries. Let’s look around.” 

As they walked around the store, Link spotted a couple of outfits. A dark green vest with silver diamond shaped buttons. There was a silver brooch that closely resembled the Sheikah symbol, as well as a medium sized teardrop pin inside a plastic packet. It included a small chain. 

Right beside the vest was a white button down long sleeve shirt with brown leather straps just above the elbows. It had small gold leaves printed on the hem.

Black pants hung on a nearby rack. A yellow sash was tied around the waistband. A brown strap was attached to left pant leg; above the knee. 

Link grabbed them. Yang and Weiss hummed in approval. He looked for more clothes, almost leaving the two girls behind. 

He found different kinds of jackets and hoods. Most of them were heavily detailed with beautiful designs. He wanted something simple. 

A dark blue silk robe with a light blue sash caught his attention. It had bunny ears. He took it. Weiss clicked her tongue. 

“I think there is a medieval and sports section upstairs. Is there anything you need?” Weiss asked.

_This store has everything, that’s so cool!_

He took out his Scroll and typed.

‘Chainmail, gloves and something for my arms.’

Weiss nodded.

“Anything else?”

‘No, I’ll find what I’m looking for.’

Weiss walked away. 

_I hope this stuff isn’t expensive._

Yang and Link were alone. The blonde girl was oddly quiet. Link tapped her shoulder. Yang sighed.

“Ever since you got here, things have gotten _weird._ ”

_I’ve noticed. It’s not everyday that someone like me shows up out of nowhere._

He waited for her to continue.

“I started getting these dreams. I don’t remember them too well, but it feels like they’re not _my_ dreams.”

_She has strange dreams, too?_

‘It sucks that you can’t remember them.’

“Maybe that’s a good thing. Besides, I’m more of a fighter than a dreamer!”

He nodded. The two then made idle conversation. Weiss returned with black leather gloves, chainmail and weighted forearm sleeves. 

The chainmail sleeves were elbow length. 

The weighted forearm sleeves were gray. It had teal padding.

Link smiled, filled with gratitude.

He walked over to an area with shoes. He quickly found long brown steel toe boots. 

“That’s a lot of stuff, Link.” Yang stated.

‘I just want five more things.’

“Do you usually buy this much?” Yang asked in disbelief.

He shook his head. During his travels, he was always short on rupees. Getting at _least_ 2,000 rupees were difficult. He normally had twenty rupees on his person. He didn’t even have enough money to buy a whole outfit.

“I got this.” Yang said while patting Link’s shoulder.

Link blinked. 

“What do you want?”

‘Pins. Earrings.’

“Go on.” Yang drawled with a smile.

‘A rock, fish, bird and thunderbolt pin. Emerald studs.’

“I’ll be back.” Yang waved Link off and disappeared further into the store. 

Weiss eyed the robe with slight distaste.

‘You don’t like it?’

“It irks me, but the lack of design isn’t the problem.”

‘What is it?’

“This is too thin. It wouldn’t help against the cold.”

Link shrugged. Weiss huffed in annoyance.

The girl seemed to find something as she waltzed off. Weiss was still nearby.

The white haired girl returned with a striped scarf. It was purple and black. 

“Here.” 

Weiss loosely wrapped the scarf around Link’s neck. 

‘Thank you.’

The girl nodded.

‘You two aren’t going to pay for this, right?”

“Oh, Yang can’t possibly handle the cost on her own. I’ll pay for it."

Link felt guilty. 

“Did you forget? The Schnee family is _very_ rich.”

Link accepted his fate.

“Friends are supposed to gift things to each other, after all.”

He sighed. 

Yang came back. In her hands were pins and earrings. The emerald studs were rectangular. It was surrounded by gold. 

The four pins came in various colors. Red. Green. Brown. Blue.

The thunderbolt pin was lime green. The rock pin was bronze.

Link smiled fondly at the red fish pin. Yang chuckled under her breath.

Weiss purchased the items. She comforted a somewhat distressed Link.

While Link prepared his new arsenal, tragedy struck somewhere in Vale city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, he's most likely NOT getting his old stuff back.


	26. Sorry, We're Closed!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link finds out about the murder. 
> 
> Cinder and her crew fight RWBY and JNPR.
> 
> Link, team RWBY, Sun and a new character investigate.

Something buzzed loudly in Link’s ears. The boy blearily opened his eyes. 

‘ **Faunus Man Found Dead in Tukson’s Book Trade.** ’ 

He felt sick. Link debated closing his Scroll or reading the article. He read it. Or at least he tried to.

_The owner of this book store was murdered, no one knows who or why someone would kill him. The book store was close to the clothing store, too._

_I should look into this, but I’m practically useless. Maybe I could ask Blake to - No. Robbery and murder are two different things. She can’t help with this._

Link sighed. He had classes to attend.

The Hylian trudged over to his closet. He took out his new outfit with a smile. He left the robe.

Struggling, he put the emerald studs in his ears. 

Link eventually put on his entire outfit.

The silver Sheikah brooch was attached to the right side of the vest, while the teardrop pin was on the left. A chain connected them. The vest was mostly unbuttoned. The shirt sleeves were unevenly rolled up. 

The bright yellow sash was decorated with the four pins. 

The striped scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck. 

Link walked out. Button followed closely. 

The duo arrived to Professor Port’s class. Link smiled at Dan and Arin. They waved at him. 

The three students went inside. They settled into their seats. Dan lightly poked Arin’s shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Can you heat this up?”

Dan took out a metal bottle from his bag. He shook it. Liquid swished violently. 

Arin rose an eyebrow, “I’m not your personal heater.”

“I’m _not_ drinking cold tea.”

“Why do you even have tea?”

“Because I like tea, Arin.”

Arin blinked hard.

“Big Cat, what do you hate about this sandwich place, again?”

Arin’s face contorted in rage. He harshly breathed through his nose.

“Everything about Soobway is, like, infuriating.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Like, the people in front of you take too long. And, I’ll order something, right? They just raise their eyebrows, like, ‘whoa there.’ Or they keep asking what I want _right_ after I told them!” 

“Soobway seems to be the land of inconveniences for you, man.”

“It is! Say I want, like, spinach. They just fucking _destroy_ it with spinach, just like an _avalanche_ of spinach.”

Dan laughed hard, “Wow.”

“Then, you’re fucking like, ‘Onion.’ They put, like, _two_ onions on it. And it’s like - _more!_ Onion! Please!” 

In the midst of Arin’s rant, Dan slowly slid the bottle closer to the boy. Flames licked at the bottle. The curly haired boy retrieved the bottle, nearly burning his hands. He opened the bottle. It was steaming. 

Dan fished out a plastic straw from his bag. He plopped it into the bottle. After a few moments, he took a sip.

“Fuck you, Soobway.” Arin concluded.

Dan stopped drinking and looked at his friend. A sly grin was on his face. 

“Thanks, Arin!”

“Dan!” Arin sputtered, half annoyed, half angry. 

Dan chuckled. He continued drinking his tea. Arin dramatically threw his hands into the air. 

Link laughed under his breath. 

The bell rang. Students entered the room. Professor Port went inside, after the students. 

The professor stood in front of his desk. He greeted the students.

“Today, you will fight one on one. You will use this object,” he motioned to a plastic apple on his desk, “to choose your opponent.” 

Jaune raised his hand, “What do you mean by that?”

“Once someone has this apple, they will throw it to another person. That person can either accept or decline the request. If they happen to agree, those two students will fight.”

“Thanks!” Jaune replied. 

“Any other questions?”

Ruby’s hand shot up, “Will we go to the arena?”

“Unfortunately, we will not, Miss Rose.”

Ruby looked a bit dejected, then perked up a second later. 

“We will begin now!” 

Professor Port glanced around the room. He was met with eager looks. Mercury smirked. He raised his hand. The teacher picked up the fruit and tossed it to the boy. 

Mercury caught it. He threw it to Pyrrha. 

“I’d be happy to oblige.”

Mercury vaulted off the desk, while Pyrrha calmly walked to the front of the classroom. 

They faced each other. Mercury immediately charged. Pyrrha followed suit as she brought her shield up. The boy kicked her shield. Pyrrha retaliated by slashing Miló at the boy’s leg. He fell. Mercury did a quick handstand and twirled his legs. He backflipped away. Pyrrha relaxed for a moment before rushing towards Mercury. The second Pyrrha appeared directly in front of Mercury, he sent a kick to her side. She blocked with her shield. Mercury rapidly kicked with a single leg. Pyrrha blocked each and every attack. 

Pyrrha’s calm expression shattered. Her brief smirk morphed into a fierce look. She bashed Akoúo̱ into Mercury’s stomach. His feet skidded a foot away. He stopped himself by extending his left foot outward. He seemed impressed. 

The students watched in excitement.

Mercury launched himself into the air. He bent his right leg. He dropped down, landing another strong kick to Pyrrha’s shield. Now on the floor, Mercury attempted to trip the girl with a low kick. Pyrrha rolled out of the way. Mercury tried the same tactic to no avail.

Pyrrha transformed Miló into a javelin as Mercury sent a flurry of kicks in the air. The attacks hit the shield. She flicked his right leg with Akoúo̱. The boy delivered a kick, to which Pyrrha blocked with her arm. Pyrrha let go of her javelin. She used her Semblance on it. It spun. Mercury did a roundhouse kick, hitting her shield. The silver haired boy knocked the weapon into the floor.

He smirked as he did another roundhouse kick. Just as Mercury’s foot reached Pyrrha, she used her Semblance. His foot was outlined in black. It was moved out of the way. He stumbled a bit. He kneeled on the floor. Mercury got up. Pyrrha barreled towards Mercury. He jumped. His feet connected with her shield. He propelled himself off, landing far from Pyrrha. 

The girl ran after him, and skidded to a stop when Mercury spoke.

“I forfeit.” 

“You,” she glanced at Mercury; disbelief was present in her voice, “don’t even want to try?”

Mercury shrugged, “What’s the point? You’re a world renowned fighter, we’re leagues apart.”

Professor Port cleared his throat, “Miss Nikos is the victor!”

Mercury smiled and walked back to his desk. 

The classroom went quiet. Link glowered at Mercury. _What was that?_

“Would anyone else like to spar?” Pyrrha asked with a smile.

Emerald nodded. Pyrrha threw the apple. The red haired girl patiently waited for the other girl. 

“Actually, I want to fight him.” Emerald said as she tossed it to Jaune.

“Me?”

She rolled her eyes, “Yes, you.” 

The two students made their way to Professor Port’s desk. Pyrrha gave Jaune a kind smile as she returned to her seat. 

“Good luck, but I doubt you need it!” Mercury yelled to Emerald. The girl glared at him.

Jaune unsheathed his sword. The sheath became a shield. 

Emerald took out a pair of jungle green firearms from their separate leather casings. 

They stared each other down.

“What are you waiting for?” Emerald mocked.

“You.” He shot back. Emerald looked surprised. She grinned. 

“Alright then.”

Emerald aimed both guns at Jaune and fired. He dashed out of the way. He tried to knock a gun out of her hand with his shield. Emerald backflipped. 

The guns transformed into sickles. She made a ‘come-hither’ motion with the weapon. Jaune narrowed his eyes. 

“No?” 

Jaune shook his head. The sickle in Emerald’s left hand changed into a kusarigama. She twirled her hand in a circle. Emerald raised her arm and made a throwing motion. The blade met Jaune’s shield. Emerald huffed.

“You’re pretty fast.” Emerald quipped.

Jaune didn’t comment. Emerald’s sickle turned back into a gun. The girl fired again, only for Jaune to block. Emerald shot him an annoyed glare. The boy gave her an apologetic look. 

The mint haired girl purposely threw the kusarigama at the shield. She pulled, nearly causing Jaune to fall. She transformed the gun into another kusarigama. Emerald snagged Jaune’s leg and yanked him closer. 

The chain-sickles morphed into sickles.

Jaune got up. 

“You can go all out, I’m not afraid of blood.” 

Jaune slowly nodded with a nervous smile on his lips. He seemed uncomfortable. He ran towards her. Jaune slashed his sword. She dodged, sidestepping to the left. She retaliated, vigorously slashing the blades. Jaune blocked just in time. 

Emerald clicked her tongue. 

Jaune looked away from her, as if he heard something. Emerald smirked, using the distraction to her advantage. She knocked his shield away. It landed on the floor with a clang. 

Link glanced at Emerald. She’s using her Semblance. 

Jaune blinked. Bewilderment painted his face. Emerald laughed softly. She went in for another attack. His Aura flared to life as he blocked. She raised her eyebrows. 

“Nice.”

“Thanks.”

Jaune ran up to her, slashing his weapon. 

Emerald dodged. Her weapons turned into firearms. She rapidly fired.

The girl had shock written on her face. Jaune didn’t avoid any of the bullets. He simply walked towards her, as if the bullets hardly affected him. Emerald’s jaw nearly dropped. The awe in her eyes faded into something else. Calculating. Cold. 

Link smiled at him. _Jaune isn’t one to show off like Revs, but here he is, being awesome._

His smile faltered as he noticed Emerald’s expression. 

Emerald seemed overwhelmed for a moment. 

Jaune stopped. An embarrassed blush colored his cheeks. He stared at Pyrrha, then returned his gaze to a smug Emerald. 

“What?” She asked.

“I,” Jaune shook his head, “it’s nothing?”

“Well, this was fun,” Emerald grinned, “but I give up.”

“Did I do something wrong, or?”

“No, it’s just that you’d win too easily.” 

“I don’t know about that, but thanks!” Jaune replied with a bright smile.

“Mr. Arc is the winner!” Professor Port announced.

Jaune picked his shield up.

“There is time for one more fight.” The teacher quickly added on. 

“Here,” Jaune handed over the plastic fruit with a smile, “take this, Emerald.”

“Thanks.” 

Emerald threw it to Cinder.

_Emerald, no!_

Emerald gave Link a somewhat ashamed look.

At the same time, Cinder turned to Link with a menacing little grin. Her eyes softly glowed. To Link, it was intense, like a raging fire. 

_Great._

The woman tossed it to his desk. Button squawked in outrage. He flapped his wings. The little bird pecked at the apple, trying to remove it from Link’s desk. The Hylian pet Button.

“Miss Fall, I believe you should choose another partner.” 

“With all due respect, _sir_ , no one else here is interesting enough.”

“Mr. Dorephan is _injured._ ” 

Link shakily stood up without his crutches. He heard murmurs around the classroom. 

He returned the dangerous glare Cinder had. He nodded.

“You can’t do that, Cinder,” Ruby cried, “it isn’t fair!”

“He is accepting the challenge, I don’t see what’s wrong with that.” Cinder replied.

“ _Excuse me?!_ What’s wrong is that he’s _hurt_ and you want to _fight_ him!” Weiss angrily shouted. 

“He can barely stand up without the crutches. What makes you think he is capable of fighting you?” Blake asked. Her tone was sharp but quiet. 

Cinder smirked, “I’m sure he’ll do fine.”

Button screeched.

“Hey! Only I can beat Link to a pulp.” Yang yelled. Her team gave her a look.

“What I meant to say is, I’m the only one who can beat him - twice, but still make it fair!” 

“Uh, I don’t think nearly killing Link twice is fair?” Jaune questioned.

“Nearly!” Yang chirped.

Nora pushed Yang aside, “Do you _want_ me to break your kneecaps?” 

“I doubt you can.” Cinder deflected the threat.

Nora growled. Ren lightly grabbed her wrist. She visibly calmed down, no longer shaking with rage. 

“I’m not sure if this is a good idea.” Ren calmly said to Cinder.

The two teams, including Button, turned to Link.

‘It’s fine.’

Weiss pointed a finger at him, “It is most _certainly_ not! Are you even hearing yourself right now?”

Link frowned, ‘She won’t give up, so I’ll fight her.’

He let out an empty chuckle.

‘Or, I’ll try to.’

“That’s not the right time for a joke.” Yang said. Link stared at her.

“Link, don’t do this.” Pyrrha pleaded. 

Jaune frantically glanced at the professor, “Professor Port! Can we help him fight, _please?_ ” 

The man sighed. Deeply. He rubbed his temples. 

“Yes, Mr. Arc.” 

The whispers grew louder.

The nine students, and Cinder got out of their seats. 

“Eight against one, hm? That’s hardly fair.” Cinder said. 

“‘Eight against one, hm? That’s hardly fair.’ That’s you.” Yang mocked.

A couple of students snickered. 

Cinder growled.

Jaune cleared his throat, “How about two versus one? One member from RWBY, and one person from my team against you.”

The boy glanced at Link, “You can support us by using that tablet of yours.” 

Link nodded. 

“That’s a wonderful idea, Jaune.” Pyrrha said. Jaune blushed.

Cinder smiled. 

Link felt uneasy.

“I’ll accept these conditions.”

“Weiss, you can do this!”

“Pyrrha, let’s go.”

The group dispersed, going back to their seats.

Weiss and Pyrrha stood in front of Link. The boy held the Sheikah Slate in his hand. 

Pyrrha put Akoúo̱ above her head. Weiss created a glyph as she backflipped. Her feet touched the golden shield. Pyrrha’s shield was outlined in black. Pyrrha flicked her arm. Weiss leapt off of it as a glyph formed behind her. 

Weiss zoomed towards Cinder. Weiss thrust her rapier forward. Cinder evaded the attack. The woman ignored Weiss and bolted towards Link. 

“Not so fast.” 

Weiss summoned a glyph in front of Cinder. It prevented her from moving. 

“Pyrrha!” 

The redhead ran and front flipped above Cinder. She jabbed her weapon into the woman’s back. The girl backed up. Weiss activated the glyph. Cinder was swiftly pulled back. 

Cinder dodged Pyrrha’s incoming attack. A small flame hovered in the woman’s left hand. It grew. She extended her arm outward. 

The fireball almost burned Pyrrha. Cinder summoned more fireballs and hurled them at the girl. Weiss used a glyph to reach her partner. She plunged the rapier into the ground. A white glyph appeared on the floor. A jagged ice wall surrounded the two students. 

“This is nothing.”

Cinder melted the icy barrier. A large puddle remained.

They jumped back. Weiss used another glyph on Cinder, pushing her away. 

Cinder’s palms lit up. A massive fireball danced in her hands. She outstretched her arm. A whirl of fire was directed to the three students. 

Link aimed the tablet at the puddle. Three large ice blocks vertically formed one after another on the puddle. 

They were safe.

“Thank you, Link.” They said.

Link nodded. 

“Do you have a plan, Weiss?”

“Yes, I do. Transform your weapon into a rifle. I’ll use Dust with my Semblance.”

“Got it. Anything else?”

“Use the blocks as cover.”

Milό flawlessly turned into a golden and red rifle. She leaned against the Cryonis block. Weiss summoned a glyph. Her middle and index finger were close together. She moved her hand towards Pyrrha, placing the glyph in front of the rifle. Myrtensaster’s blade glowed yellow. It fired a streak onto the glyph, changing its design and color. It became a yellow winding clock with roman numerals. The minute and hour hand spun fast. 

The rifle was outlined in gold.

The redhead crouched down. She pointed the rifle at Cinder once she spotted her.

“Fire!” Weiss commanded. 

Pyrrha fired. The bullet was lightning fast. It slightly chipped the edge of the ice block. It hit Cinder’s shoulder. The woman grunted in pain.

The glyph disappeared as Pyrrha fired more shots.

Cinder was unable to dodge. 

The woman grit her teeth in anger.

She scaled one of the ice walls. Cinder jumped onto the third block. 

The black haired woman glanced at Emerald. The girl nodded solemnly. 

Weiss was rooted to the floor. Her pupils were dilated. Fear.

The white haired girl mumbled something, as if she was too afraid to speak loudly. 

Cinder seemed smug. She jumped down. Twin black glass scimitars were in her hands. She struck Weiss down before Pyrrha and Link could react.

Weiss was knocked out.

_Did she just teleport? What? Or does she move that quickly?_

_More importantly, is Weiss going to be okay?_

Pyrrha gasped, “This is a sparring session!” 

“Why are you telling me something I know?”

Pyrrha gave her a harsh glare.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Ruby shouted.

The girl rushed over to Weiss and picked her up. She went back to her desk. 

“Cinder!” Ruby called with a hint of ire in her voice.

“Yes, girl?”

“ _Don’t_ hurt anyone else!”

Cinder ignored her.

The fight continued. 

“Link, try to distract her.” 

He bit his lip. _What can I do? I could freeze her, but she might get out of the way._

_I think I got it._

A familiar glowing bomb appeared on the floor, instead of his hands. 

Link stared at the bomb, then to Pyrrha. He flicked his head up. 

The redhead picked up the bomb and threw it at Cinder.

“What is this?”

“A ball.” Pyrrha replied.

“ _Really?_ ” Cinder sounded unconvinced. 

“Yes, it is. It’s very bouncy.” 

“Oh?”

Cinder kicked the bomb. It bounced once, then rolled away. 

Pyrrha found a few weapons laying on the floor. She smiled.

“Let’s play a game, shall we?” 

Cinder scoffed in annoyance. 

The girl kicked the bomb back to Cinder. 

“Link!”

Link detonated the bomb. Pyrrha used her Semblance on the weapons. She pointed them at Cinder as they circled around her. One was sent flying at Cinder. 

The woman dodged, only to be hit by another weapon. 

The rest of the weapons were launched at Cinder. 

“Pyrrha, pull back. Ren, go!” Jaune yelled. 

“Blake!” Ruby shouted. 

Pyrrha returned to her seat as Blake and Ren entered the fray. 

“Double team her.” Blake said quietly.

Ren nodded.

“I’ll attack at a distance.” Ren announced. 

“Right.” 

Link grinned as he stared at a blunderbuss attached to the wall. It had two axe blades attached to the stock of the weapon. He tapped the Magnesis icon. He tried his best to pull his arm back. The weapon flailed, then zoomed towards Link. The blunderbuss hit Cinder in the head.

Blake created a clone to reach Cinder. She slashed her katana and swung the sheath. The woman instantly attacked but missed, as Blake created another clone. 

Ren fired several times. 

Blake jumped upwards. Before she could make a clone, Cinder attacked. Blake was knocked down. 

The woman stared her down with a gleam in her eyes. Blake raised an eyebrow. Link could tell that Blake was unnerved. 

The boy flung the blunderbuss at Cinder’s stomach. The woman sidestepped. Blake stood up and ran. She created a clone and hid behind a Cryonis block. The clone was placed in front of the second ice pillar. 

Cinder slashed at the clone. It burst into flames and exploded. 

“Ren, circle her.”

The black haired boy ran around Cinder and fired. Blake headed straight for her, slashing away. 

Cinder sent fireball after fireball at Ren, who rolled out of the way. 

Blake backflipped as she created a clone, giving herself a boost. She unwrapped the ribbon around her arm and held it in her hand. She threw it to Ren. He tied it on his wrist. Blake held the ribbon with two hands and swung it. Ren skidded across the floor as he fired. Bullet casings littered the floor.

Cinder avoided some of the bullets and grabbed the ribbon. She roughly tugged on it. Ren crashed into Blake. They tumbled onto the floor. Ren struggled to get up. He gasped for air then dropped back down.

“Lie!” Nora shouted. 

Link frowned.

Blake got up. 

Link brought the blunderbuss to Blake’s arm. She gave him a questioning look. He pointed to the ribbon, then to the blunderbuss. She smiled. Blake wrapped the ribbon around it. She tightly gripped the ribbon. 

Link sent the blunderbuss skyward. Blake’s katana turned into a pistol. 

He spun the weapon in a circle. Blake fired multiple shots. Cinder managed to avoid a few. 

“Pull me closer to her.” 

The blunderbuss barreled towards Cinder. Gambol Shroud turned back into a katana. Blake created a clone and propelled herself forward. She slashed the blade into Cinder’s hip. She swung herself to the side and made a clone. Blake slashed at Cinder’s chest. Before the woman could retaliate, the blunderbuss was sent back.

Blake swung back and made a clone. She briefly held the blunderbuss. She pulled the trigger. The weapon spit out an array of fireballs. The insane recoil sent Blake back, straining the ribbon. She used the recoil and her Semblance. She let go, launching herself at Cinder. She kicked the woman then swung the sheath.

“Blake! Link! That was _awesome!_ Jaune, let’s fight together!” Ruby gushed. 

“Alright.”

“Team leader duo, go!” Ruby shouted. 

The two students faced Cinder. Ruby’s grin slightly faded. Jaune seemed neutral. 

“Cinder, _why_ do you even want to fight Link?” Jaune asked.

“To see how strong he is.”

Jaune and Ruby shared a look.

“You could’ve waited!” Ruby argued. 

Cinder hummed. The woman dashed towards Link. Jaune intercepted her. He bashed his shield into her face. She grunted. 

“Do you honestly believe you can beat me? You have nothing but a sword!” Cinder snarled.

“Uh, this is a sparring match.”

Cinder scoffed. She slashed her scimitars. The attack was precise, brewing with deadly intent. 

“Whoa, whoa, hey!” Jaune said with alarm. He somehow blocked. Blade marks marred the shield. 

“Are you trying to kill me?!” Jaune squeaked out.

“No, I’m _sparring_ with you.” 

“I need an adult.”

“I am an adult.”

“What?”

An awkward moment passed.

“Now, either you can move out of the way, or-”

“No.”

“You are a very foolish boy.”

“I’m not stupid for trying to protect my friends!”

She rolled her eyes. 

Ruby embedded her scythe into the floor. She pulled the trigger, firing a shot. Cinder dodged at the last second. 

The woman found a new target. Ruby. 

Cinder sauntered towards the girl. Link used Stasis+ without a second thought. 

Ruby ripped the scythe out of the ground. She used her Semblance as she fired. The girl relentlessly slashed Crescent Rose.

Once the timer stopped, Cinder crashed into a bookshelf. 

She was beyond furious. The woman got up. 

Cinder hissed Emerald’s name. The girl was conflicted. Ruby red eyes flickered to Cinder and the trio.

“I can’t. I’m so-”

Emerald received a foul glare that clearly said “Obey.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Emerald said with a somber voice. 

Ruby froze, dropping her weapon. Her fingers twitched. Tears ran down her face. 

“Mom, why did you _leave?_ ” 

Everyone in the room stilled. Emerald was _horrified._

Cinder smirked, and attacked Ruby. She knocked the girl out. 

“Ruby!” Yang growled. Lilac eyes turned blood red. Blonde hair turned into a flaming gold. 

“Nora, let’s kill her.” 

“On it!” Nora replied with a wild grin. 

“Kill me? I’d like to see you try.”

“ _Oh,_ I’ll try.” Yang said. It was a promise. 

Yang set her eyes on Link.

“Link, freeze me. Nora?”

Link nodded.

“Yes?”

“ _Hit_ me.” 

“Got it. Behead her!”

Yang smirked. It was more of a grimace.

“Be- _Yang_ the witch!”

“Nice.” 

Link snorted. He used Stasis+ on Yang. Yellow chains surrounded her. Nora repeatedly slammed her warhammer into Yang’s back. Each hit was incredibly brutal. 

The transparent arrow in front of Yang became red. 

The seconds ticked by. The chains disappeared. Yang blasted towards Cinder and punched her stomach. The sound of Yang’s fist connecting to Cinder’s body was _loud._ It was absolutely disgusting. The impact sent the woman flying. 

Cinder coughed up blood. She struggled to stand.

Link winced. _I’m so glad that isn’t me._

“We win.” Yang said.

Nora cheered.

The bell rung.

Mercury grinned at a downcast Emerald, “Learning is so much fun!”

Emerald shrugged, walking to class.

History whizzed by, like the Professor. 

Link was approached by Blake.

“Did you hear about the murder?”

He nodded.

“We should investigate tonight.”

_By ourselves? I’m not that useful at the moment, though._

Something must have shown on his face as the girl began explaining.

“With Sun.”

_What about her team?_

She seemed to have read his mind, “They can’t get involved.”

Link gave her a dubious look. 

“It’s nothing serious. They’re trying to get me to attend some stupid dance.” 

Link held his laughter in. 

“They made a deal. If we do this as a team, then I _have_ to go to the dance.” 

He smiled. _They want to help her._

“You want me to accept the deal, don’t you?” 

Link nodded.

Blake sighed.

They walked together.

“I don’t want to waste my time on some dance.” Blake complained. 

He nudged her and shook his head. Button chirped. 

“Seriously?”

He grinned. 

“Are you going to the dance?” 

There was a small pause in the conversation.

“You don’t know when it is.” She said flatly.

He looked away. 

“It’s in two days.”

_Cool._

They arrived to class. 

Time flew by. The school day was over.

_Blake said to stop by their dorm._

As he walked through the halls, he overheard a conversation. 

“Weiss Schnee.” He heard Emerald say.

“Yes, the little heiress.” Cinder said.

“She’s pretty crafty with her Semblance.” Mercury added.

“Weiss can’t take big attacks, though.” Emerald replied. 

“What about that Ren kid?” Mercury asked.

“What about him?” Emerald echoed.

“If that kid fought Weiss, who’d lose?”

“ _Why_ is that a question, Mercury?” Cinder snapped.

“I’m just curious!”

Cinder ignored him.

“Emerald, what did you observe about Lie Ren?”

“Not too much, but he seems to have a low amount of stamina.”

Cinder hummed.

“Do you think he has a powerful Semblance?” Mercury asked.

“I don’t know, do you?” Emerald mocked.

“Rude.” Mercury said.

“Stupid.” Emerald shot back.

A moment passed. 

“Jaune Arc, at first glance, doesn’t seem like much.” Emerald admitted. 

“He looks plain, to be honest.” Mercury said with a laugh.

“ _But,_ he is a competent fighter.”

“He’s not very smart. Wanting to protect his friends, risking his life, is foolish.” Cinder cut in.

“I guess.” 

“Like Ren, he didn’t use his Semblance.” Mercury pointed out.

“Nora Valkyrie didn’t, either.” Emerald said.

“ _What_ is with JNPR? I’m starting to think that Nikos is the only person with a Semblance.” Mercury said.

“Relax, Merc. No need to ruin your tiny brain.” Emerald teased.

“I take offense to that!”

“So you _do_ have a small brain.”

“I do not!”

“You do.”

“No!”

“ _Enough._ ”

“Sorry, ma’am.”

“You’re no fun, Cinder.”

Emerald cleared her throat, “Anyway. Nora is a heavy hitter. I doubt she would _need_ a Semblance.”

“Yeah, she looks very strong.”

“Wow, thanks for stating the obvious, Mercury.”

“Leave me alone!” He cried.

“The fight was too short to determine any weaknesses.” Emerald stated.

“Now, Blake Belladonna.” Emerald started.

“That fight was hilarious.” Mercury said. He laughed.

“Blake’s Semblance is interesting. Each time she makes a clone, she gets a boost in speed and more chances to attack.” Emerald continued.

“It sounds like she’s good at running away.” Mercury said.

“Do tell, Mercury.” Cinder drawled.

“Aside from speed boosts and attacks, she can use her Semblance to avoid hits.”

“The baby said his first _smart_ words!” Emerald cheered with fake enthusiasm. 

“I am older than you!”

“By a year.”

“Exactly.” 

“Ruby Rose.” Emerald said with a shaky voice.

“What’s wrong, Emerald?” 

“Nothing, Cinder.”

“You feel horrible for using your Semblance on that little girl?”

“Yes.” 

“There is no reason to. All you must do is obey.”

“I understand, Cinder.”

“Good, now continue.”

“Ruby Rose’s Semblance is Speed. She expertly handles her weapon, as well.” Emerald’s voice sounded shaky.

“It’s alright, Em. Just apologize to the kid later.” Mercury whispered. 

Mercury took over, saying, “Ruby is fast, but not fast enough. If she’s hit, she may or may not get up. I’m not sure.” 

“Very helpful.” Cinder said. Her voice was thick with sarcasm. 

“The fight was boring.” Mercury said.

“Next, Blondie.” 

“ _Alright._ Yang Xiao Long, happy now, Cinder?”

“I have no idea what her Semblance is but it’s so cool!” 

He seemed to be fawning over her. 

“Ow! _Cinder!_ Don’t burn me.”

“Stop talking about nonsense.”

“ _Don’t burn me._ ” 

Mercury sounded off. As if he was reliving something.

“Merc. _Merc!_ Snap out of it.”

“Don’t _touch_ me.”

Mercury stopped talking. Entirely. 

“What’s wrong now, Emerald?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Don’t lie.”

“Those two teams.” Her voice trailed off. 

“You’ve taken a liking to them.”

“Yes.”

“They won’t accept you when they find out who you really are. Those gullible _children_ will despise you, they’ll abandon you. It’s best if you stay with us, with me, where you’ll will obey.”

“I understand, ma’am.” 

A few seconds passed.

“You forgot one person.” Cinder said.

“Link Dorephan.”

“The boy with two Semblances.”

“How is that even possible?”

Cinder laughed, “That’s merely a rumor. We will discover the truth during the weekend.” 

“When we do, I’ll take his power.”

_I’ll take his power._

He had a death grip on his crutches. 

_I’ll take his power._

He couldn’t breathe.

_The Champions. I can’t let her take them away._

_I can’t let her kill me._

He hobbled to RWBY’s dorm. He knocked on the door. It opened.

“Good evening, Link.” Weiss said. 

“Link! Hi!” Ruby said with a cheerful smile.

“Hey, Link.” Yang greeted. 

They invited him inside. Yang and Blake sat on a bed, Ruby sat on the top bunk, while Weiss stood in the center of the room.

“We’re trying to get Blake to go to the dance, and nothing’s working!” Ruby whined.

“Other than that, we’re worried about her.”

“I’m right here.”

Yang faced Blake. She placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We’re all worried about you. Ever since Roman, you’ve been on edge. Now this murder is messing you up!”

“You aren’t sleeping or eating, and your grades are suffering. More importantly, we _forced_ you to take care of yourself!” Weiss said, counting off the facts with her fingers.

“It doesn’t matter! A person is dead. A _faunus_ is dead!”

“We know. We’ll figure it out, together.” Yang said, lowering her hand. 

“I have to do this on my own!” 

“Did you forget what I told you?” Weiss asked. 

“ _What?_ ” Blake snapped.

Weiss stopped. A forlorn look crossed her face.

“Nevermind.” 

Her voice held no warmth.

“Blake, you promised that we’ll work together, that we’d stay together if something really big happens. Please let us help.” Ruby pleaded. 

“Just take a break. Relax a little.” Yang added.

“The dance is a waste of time. Link, let’s go.”

Link shook his head. 

She scowled, “ _You’re_ telling _me_ to take a break? To go to a dance instead of researching? What if someone else dies?” 

He was brought back into the past.

I sat by a cooking pot, near a stable. I didn’t want to sleep inside. That would cost money, something I don’t have at the moment. I checked my bag. No rupees. 

For the past few weeks, I realized that I rarely sleep. I’m always up, fighting monsters, exploring or hanging around in Hateno and Kakariko Village. 

Sleeping in the wilderness still scares me. In general, going to sleep terrifies me. Too many fuzzy faces in my dreams. Too much blood. 

Sleeping wasn’t very helpful. I still have a destiny to fulfill. I still have goals to complete. 

I can’t waste anymore time like this.

These people; the Champions, whoever they are, need me.

Zelda needs me.

“Link? Hey, hey. Link!” 

He blinked. 

“Are you okay? You blanked out.” Blake said. 

‘I’m okay. Just remembered something.’

“What is it?” Yang asked.

‘I don’t like wasting time, either. I had to undo a big mistake as quickly as I could, by myself. I stopped sleeping because of it.’

“So, you understand why I have to do this.” Blake finished.

‘Yes, but listen to your teammates. You’ll never know if-’ _they die._

He scribbled out the second sentence.

‘Let them prove to you that you can trust them.’

“Fine. I guess I’m going to the dance,” Blake saw her teammates visibly brighten, “on one condition.”

Yang groaned, “Blake!”

“What is this condition?” Weiss pressed.

“We will investigate. Tonight.”

“As leader of team RWBY, I hereby announce that we will solve this mystery! Come on, gang!” 

Yang cheered wildly. Weiss had a smile on her face. Blake laughed softly.

“To the library!” Ruby yelled.

“To the library we go!” Yang yelled back.

“Can we come?”

Five heads snapped to the window. Sun hung upside down, by his tail. He waved at them.

Ruby opened the window.

“What’s up, guys?”

“How in the world did you get up here?” Weiss asked.

“Climbing!” 

“Can you please let us in? We’re really high up right now.” Another voice asked.

“Sure!” Ruby replied.

Sun jumped off and landed into the room. He pulled someone by the arm and tugged them into RWBY’s dorm. 

Sun stood next to a tall boy. The boy had tan skin and dark blue eyes. He had messy light-blue hair in an undercut. He wore a white dress shirt and a black tie under a red jacket. The jacket was adorned with a wide, upturned black collar and a silver reticle across the back. He also wore gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides, as well as black shoes with straps. The boy had black fingerless gloves.

He wore a pair of yellow tinted goggles around his forehead. 

“Hey Blake!” Sun greeted her with a grin.

“Hey.”

He waved to the others, “How are you guys doing? It’s been a while!”

The team and Sun went back and forth, talking about the week. 

“Anyway, this strapping young man is Neptune! He’s my teammate.”

“Nice to meet you ladies. And Link.”

_So, I’m just an afterthought. That’s fine._

Yang and Weiss shared a look. 

Weiss cut to the chase, “Why are you two here?”

“Well, I wanted Neptune to meet the famous team RWBY, so here we are.”

Ruby had stars in her eyes, “We’re famous?”

Sun chuckled, “Yep! And so is Link.” 

Weiss clicked her tongue, “You said you wanted to help us?” 

“Yeah!” Sun replied.

“We _are_ junior detectives.” Neptune said.

“Almost, buddy, almost.” Sun replied. He pat Neptune on the shoulder. 

Ruby looked starstrucked, “Of course you can help!”

Sun and Neptune cheered.

Neptune’s face changed. The carefree smile he had faded into a more serious look. 

“First things first, we got to find out about the victim. Whether it’s research or first hand information, it’s still good.” 

Everyone nodded. 

“I visited his bookstore daily before I went to Beacon.” Blake said.

“Were you close to him?” Sun asked.

“Somewhat. He told me a bit about his life. He left the White Fang.”

“What happens to former members of the White Fang?”

“They leave, they die.”

“Then-” Sun choked.

“ _Sun._ ” 

“Don’t worry, Neptune’s cool with your secret.”

“You _told_ him?”

She sounded betrayed, ready to storm off.

“I’m sworn to secrecy!” Neptune said.

Blake glared at the two boys.

“I’m going to the library. Alone.” Blake announced.

“Nope! We’re doing this as a team.” Ruby countered.

She walked out. Her team, including Link, Sun and Neptune followed.

Once they arrived, they scoured the web for any information on Tukson. 

They didn’t have much to go on, as several websites were blocked.

They returned to their room, dejected. 

“We found absolutely nothing.” Weiss complained.

“Blake, do you know anything else about Tukson?” Neptune asked.

“He was planning to leave Vale, to lead a different life.”

“That’s all you got?” 

“Yeah.”

“Perhaps we could theorize.” Weiss suggested. 

“That’s a good idea!” Ruby praised. Weiss blushed.

“Theories won’t get us anywhere.” Blake snarked. 

Ruby frowned, “Then what can we do?” 

“Let’s just go to the bookstore.” Sun said. 

“Isn’t Tuskon’s store closed?” Yang asked.

“We can sneak in.” Blake said, as if she was talking about the weather.

“That’s breaking and entering!” Ruby argued.

Blake shrugged. 

“Everyone who wants to go to Tukson’s Book Trade, say aye!” Ruby shouted.

“This is a horrible idea, but aye.” Weiss said.

The rest of the group agreed to “visit” the bookstore.

“Why didn’t anyone else say aye?” Ruby asked with a pout.

The seven students left for the bookstore.

“Well, I was right, it’s closed.” Yang said as she crossed her arms. 

Whether it was luck, or something else, the police were nowhere to be found. 

The group approached the store.

The door was covered in yellow tape. Yang stared at it. She kicked it open.

“Yang!” Ruby whispered.

Yang went inside and ushered them in.

The store was filled to the brim with wooden bookshelves, and of course, books. 

“Now it’s breaking and entering.” The blonde said with a sly grin.

“We have a _lot_ to unpack in this room.” Sun said. 

“Also, whatever you do, _don’t_ touch a single thing.” Neptune added.

The room had various evidence markers. One on a bookshelf near the door, another marker on the bell, and lastly, one on the wooden desk. Some objects were in plastic bags, such as different kinds of hardcover books.

Three light switches were labeled. 

On the floor was an outline of the body. Droplets of blood were on the beige floor.

Sun carefully walked around, “Evidence points to three people being in this room at the time of the murder.” 

His usual lighthearted tone was gone.

“How do you know that?” Blake asked with an eyebrow raised.

He pointed to the wall, which had notes.

“Really, Sun?” Blake seemed unimpressed.

“At least we have answers!” He said.

Neptune glanced at the notes, “It claims that two of the three people were male, while the other person is female.”

“Tukson is clearly one of them.” Weiss said. 

Sun hummed in confirmation. 

“Does the White Fang usually kill ex-members by themselves?” Neptune asked Blake.

“Long time members are hunted down by higher ups. Some get on a hit list.”

“Blake.”

“Yes, Weiss?”

“Wouldn’t you be killed?” Weiss' voice wavered.

“I’m the exception to the rule.”

_How does that even work?_

“For how long, Blake?”

“For as long as I run, Weiss.” 

“And if your legs give out?”

“I don’t know.”

Ruby smiled, “We’ll catch you!”

“Yeah, we’ll run with you, if we have to.” Yang said.

“Thanks.”

Sun and Neptune cooed. 

“So wholesome.” Sun sniffled.

Neptune fake cried into Sun’s shoulder. 

Link snickered. 

Weiss snapped her fingers, “Now is not the time.”

Sun and Neptune saluted her.

“I got it, snow angel.” Neptune said with a flirtatious grin.

“Snow _what?_ ”

“Nothing!”

“Weiss! Don’t be mean. What if _I_ called you that?” Ruby attempted to defend Neptune.

Weiss became a blushing mess, “I wouldn’t mind it.”

_This is how I die. Witnessing this._

“Aww, someone thawed your cold heart.” Yang teased.

_Make it stop._

Weiss composed herself. She sighed. 

“Perhaps the murder is related to Roman Torchwick?” Weiss proposed. 

“He _is_ working with the White Fang, after all.” Sun agreed. 

He paled.

“He’s working with the White Fang.” Sun repeated, significantly less cheerful. 

_Time to go after Roman._


	27. Spooky Time! (Halloween Special)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link, RWBY and JNPR celebrate Halloween.

Beacon Academy buzzed with excitement. The scariest time of year was today. Link never heard of Halloween, but it definitely wasn’t terrifying. It seemed fun. 

His Scroll vibrated. He checked it.

**Lonk Dorefindus has entered 4 Spoopy 5 Me.**

**Super Sayin:** THIS IS HALLOWEEN! THIS IS HALLOWEEN!  
**Super Sayin:** hey Link!  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** Hello.  
**Super Sayin:** r u gonna dress up?  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** Should I?  
**Super Sayin:** YES!  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** Can I dress up as myself?  
**Super Sayin:** no. thats super lame.

**Tough Pumpkin has entered the chat.**

**Tough Pumpkin:** Link!  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** Yes?  
**Tough Pumpkin:** We can dress up as eachother, no one would tell who’s who!  
**Super Sayin:** i approve of this scheme.  
**Tough Pumpkin:** Anyway, Link, stop by our dorm!  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** I’ll be there soon, Jaune.

The Hylian reached JNPR’s dorm room. It was open. He stepped inside.

“Happy Halloween, Link.” Pyrrha said.

He smiled. Button chirped. 

Jaune made his way over to Link.

“I’d give you candy but Nora ate them all.”

Link laughed. 

“It’s not funny! I saw her shovel a whole _bucket_ of candy in one go.”

Link choked on his laughter.

Jaune shook his head. 

“Have you really _never_ celebrated Halloween?” Pyrrha asked.

‘I haven’t.’ 

“Well, I hope you enjoy today!”

‘Thank you.’ 

He left and went to RWBY’s dorm. The open door was decorated with Halloween themed stickers and ornaments. Some of the decorations were based on their colors. Ruby chased Blake around the room. A mask and dog ears were in her hands. Yang rolled on the floor, clutching her stomach as she laughed. Weiss watched the chaos with a smile.

“Just face your fears, Blake!” Ruby yelled.

“No!” The girl yelled back. 

Ruby skidded to a stop, “Link!”

The girl bumped into Blake.

The four girls greeted Link. He grinned at them.

“Want some candy, Link?” Ruby asked.

He nodded. Ruby handed him five pieces of candy. Two of them were chocolate, one was a apple flavored hard candy, while the remaining candy were chewy caramel. 

He ate all of them. 

“Today is going to be the _best_ day ever for you, Link! Just you wait.” Ruby said as she raised her arm. 

“Link’s first Halloween will be awesome! It will be _spooky!_ ” Yang yelled.

Link snorted.

Yang placed her hands on his shoulders, “Tonight, we will feast on candy! Tonight, we will crowd houses in search of puns and frights!”

The blonde chuckled evilly. Button chirped loudly. He flapped his little wings.

Ruby nudged Weiss. The white haired girl sighed. She was red in the face.

“Link, I made something for Button.”

Link fondly smiled at the girl. Button hopped onto Weiss’ head. She feigned annoyance, then giggled softly into her hand. Ruby sped across the room and pulled something from a wooden desk drawer. She zoomed right back to Link. In her hands was a tiny black top hat tied with a green ribbon. 

Link took it and gently placed it on Button’s head. Button bobbed his head, chirping happily.

Button flew back to Link. The hat dropped onto the floor. The bird picked it up with his beak, then returned to the boy. 

“Come back around six, alright?” Yang said as she practically pushed Link out the room.

“Sorry Link, we have costumes to try on!” Ruby called. 

He went back to his dorm and waited. He checked his Scroll. 5:30 PM, it read. He went straight to JNPR’s dorm. Jaune and Link swapped clothes. 

_He really is my doppleganger._

Another thought crawled in the back of his mind. He ignored it.

“ _Wow._ ” Jaune said, nearly speechless. 

The rest of his team checked them out. Ren glanced at both of them. Nora jumped around while Pyrrha smiled.

Link noticed that they were dressed up, too. Ren was dressed as a chef. He wore a traditional white hat, a white double-breasted jacket, gray dress pants and black shoes. He had a plastic frying pan in his hand. 

Nora wore a silver helmet with wings and a suit of armor. The black armor was sleeveless, it had six circular iron pads. She wore dark blue tights, along with a brown leather belt. The girl wore long black boots. Lastly, she had a bright red cape and a plastic hammer. It looked like a gray brick.

Pyrrha wore strange armor. It was bright red and futuristic. The helmet covered her entire head. The face shield was tinted yellow. 

Jaune stayed silent as he motioned to Pyrrha.

“Let’s visit Ruby and her team.” Pyrrha said. 

They all agreed. The five students walked out. Jaune knocked. The door was slightly ajar. A gray hand appeared from the wooden door. A low pitched groan was heard. It was forced.

“Give me candy.”

“Nora ate it.” Ren replied.

A sigh. The hand pushed the door open, revealing Ruby. The small girl had gray paint smeared on her face. A few splotches of red paint were around her eyes and cheeks. Ruby wore a tattered red dress and black shoes. The shoes were made of leather. It had one strap, fastened by a buckle. She wore plain white socks, as well as her signature cloak.

Blake seemed embarrassed. The girl wore brown floppy dog ears. A black nose was painted on. She looked away from Link, holding her arm.

Yang wore a closed orange gi secured by a blue sash. The front-left side and back of the gi had strange symbols. She had blue wristbands and a dark blue short sleeved shirt. The boots she wore were also dark blue. They had a yellow border with red laces. 

Weiss wore a carved pumpkin suit. It had triangles for eyes and and a wide grin. She refused to look at anyone.

“I look horrendous. _Stupid._ ” Weiss whispered.

“You look awesome, Weiss.” Ruby softly replied. 

Weiss blushed.

The four girls greeted them. JNPR waved to them.

“Team RWBY’s objective of the night is to get candy! Oh, and we have to make sure Weiss and Link enjoy their first Halloween, _ever!_ ” 

They cheered. Jaune raised his hand into the air, instead. Link grinned at him. 

The nine students left the academy. 

Nora’s eyes landed on Weiss, “How come you never celebrated Halloween?”

“My father.”

“ _Well!_ Let’s change that.” Nora said as she grabbed Weiss’ hand.

Nora ran towards a nearby building. The front door had a Halloween theme. Nora rapidly knocked.

It opened. An elderly woman appeared from the doorway. She had a sweet smile on her face.

Nora tapped a nervous Weiss.

“Trick or Treat?” Weiss said. Her voice held uncertainty. The old woman handed her bite sized granola bars. 

“Thank you.” Weiss replied. The door closed.

Nora groaned, “It doesn’t have _chocolate!_ ”

Weiss ate one. She smiled. 

The two walked back to their teams.

“Guys, I have a _better_ idea.” Yang said.

For some reason, her entire outfit changed.

She now wore a mask. It had a flare-shaped cloth. She also wore a black sleeveless V-neck tank top with an orange X; the top half bordered her shirt collar. She had a metallic neck brace with three holes on both sides; it served as a collar. Instead of Ember Celica, she had large grenade-like gauntlets. A green belt held up her black baggy pants. She had knee guards, as well. Underneath the guards were knee-high combat boots with orange soles and eyelets.

Link sputtered. No one else seemed to notice. Yang shrugged.

“What’s up, sis?” Ruby asked.

“Whoever gets the most candy,” she paused for suspense, “takes all of it.”

Just like that, her costume changed. _Again._

She wore a loose fitting black T-shirt and beige baggy pants with loops. On her wrist was a black and white beaded bracelet. She wore brown slip on shoes and gray socks. 

Everyone brimmed with anticipation. Ruby and Weiss wandered around, in search of more candy. Link, Jaune and Pyrrha went up to each door around the area. Button chirped, following the trio. Nora dragged Ren by his arm. He simply let it happen as a smile graced his face. Yang threw toilet paper in the streets and nabbed candy from kids. Blake only watched Yang’s antics in amusement. 

Link’s Scroll buzzed.

**Angry Cat:** lolololo! i got 25 pieces of candy.  
**Puppies4Life:** You stole it all.  
**Angry Cat:** finders, keepers, blake.  
**Puppies4Life:** Can we disqualify Yang?  
**Angry Cat:** i vote NOT to disqualify mysekl  
**Angry Cat:** nymsel  
**Angry Cat:** M Y S E L F.  
**Puppies4Life:** Yang, you almost bumped into a kid.  
**Angry Cat:** 26 now!  
**Zombo Girl:** Yaaang! No swiping!  
**Zombo Girl:** I have 13 pieces of candy!! Weiss has 10.  
**Zombo Girl:** I’m so happy. Seeing her like this  
**Zombo Girl:** makes my heart burst.

**Zombo Girl has deleted two messages.**

**Angry Cat:** sweet. wat about u guys? @Lonk Dorefindus, @Tough Pumpkin, @SPARTAN! 

**Lonk Dorefindus, Tough Pumpkin and SPARTAN! have entered 4 Spoopy 5 Me.**

**Lonk Dorefindus:** Because of Button, in total we have 70.  
**Angry Cat:** what.  
**Tough Pumpkin:** 65, actually! Link miscounted.  
**Angry Cat:** excuse me but w h a t the [REDACTED]?  
**SPARTAN!:** I’m sorry!  
**Angry Cat:** its coo, py.  
**Tough Pumpkin:** Link has 40, I have 15. Pyrrha has 10.

**Super Hero has entered 4 Spoopy 5 Me.**

**Super Hero:** 40?!? Linky, thats so cool!  
**Lonk Dorefindus:** Praise Button. He danced and chirped, winning over every person he saw.  
**Super Hero:** So cute!

**Five users have thumbed up a message**

**Angry Cat:** i might have found people from our school.  
**Zombo Girl:** Who?? I wanna know!  
**Angry Cat:** mercury and emerald. 

**Angry Cat has sent** _edgyboiandgreengurl.jpg_  
**Angry Cat:** mercury is pretending to brood. lololololo.  
**Zombo Girl:** What’s he dressed up as?  
**Angry Cat:** some ninja with black hair and a blue shirt?  
**Zombo Girl:** Wow!!! =D  
**Angry Cat:** emerald is dressed as an emerald. except its like a weird humanoid gem thing.  
**Zombo Girl:** Thats funny!  
**Angry Cat:** ya 

An hour or two passed. The nine students regrouped. 

Surprisingly, it was Weiss and Ruby that won. Yang pouted. 

“We did it, Weiss! Candy for _life!_ ” Ruby cheered. 

Weiss played along and clapped. 

“No!” Yang wailed. 

Her costume changed. 

It was a sandwich. 

‘Halloween was fun.’ 

“It’s not over yet! We have a party.” Ruby said. 

“To Beacon Academy!” Nora shouted. 

Seven students echoed Nora. Jaune and Link grinned. 

They went back to their dorms. 


	28. Teamwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY, Sun, Neptune and Link continue the investigation. Meanwhile, the murderers are revealed. 
> 
> Link also has another nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a lot of POV switches, all of them are third person limited.

Two Beacon Academy students entered an old warehouse. White Fang members moved several crates of Dust. Roman stood in front of a stack, looking at them. 

He gasped. A plastic smile graced his face.

“She sent the kids again! This is just like the divorce.” Roman said.

The man approached them, giving the two a hug. One shivered in pure disgust. 

“Please stop talking, Roman.” One of them said. 

They pulled away.

“ _That_ was a joke. And this, “ he brandished a piece of paper, “ _just_ might tell me where you two have been.”

The small paper had an address written on it. _282-273, Tukson’s Book Trade._

“ _What?_ ” One of them exclaimed in disbelief. 

The other chuckled under their breath.

Roman rolled his eyes, “I’m a professional.”

He asked the same question.

“Wouldn’t _you_ like to know.” One of them replied. The sass was clear in their tone.

“Yeah. I would.”

“Cleaning up _one_ of your problems.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. 

“I could’ve done that, you know.” Roman hissed in annoyance.

“Packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise.”

“If it were up to me, I’d take you and your little _friend_ here-”

His threat was cut off as Cinder appeared. She stood above them, on a platform. The woman stepped onto a automated lift. It activated, bringing her down.

“Do _what,_ Roman?”

The man laughed nervously, “I wouldn’t kill them?”

One of the students glanced at Cinder. Adoration and excitement were present in their voice.

“Cinder!”

Cinder ignored them, in favor of Roman.

“I thought I told _you_ to kill the would-be runaway.”

“You see, I was going to-”

The man was interrupted again.

“Tuskon was going to _escape_ to Vacuo! Mercury and _I_ decided to kill the rat.”

“I’m pretty sure he was a cat.” Mercury said.

“What? Like a puma?” Emerald asked.

“Yeah, there you go.”

“Quiet. Did I not _specifically_ instruct the both of you to keep your hands clean?” Cinder snapped. 

Roman pointed at them and laughed.

Emerald looked ashamed. Her voice was meek, “I just thought-”

“Don’t think, just obey.”

“Yes, ma’am. It won’t happen again.” Emerald apologetically replied. 

Cinder nodded, then turned to Roman. The man instantly stopped laughing.

“And _you._ Why wasn’t this job done sooner?” 

He pointed to his right and left, then behind him, “Sorry if I’ve been busy stealing _every_ speck of Dust in Vale!”

“You’re an inspiration to every low life criminal that owns a gun.” Mercury dryly added.

Emerald laughed. 

“Look around, _kid._ I got this city runnin’ scared! Police, _everywhere,_ Dust prices through the damn roof, _and_ we’re sitting pretty in a dusty, old warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials, and _rounds_ than we know what to do with! Speaking of which, can you tell me what the _hell_ are you guys planning? It might help me out with the next string of robberies!” 

Roman sounded frustrated. The way he moved his arms seemed a little frantic. 

Cinder sauntered towards him. 

“Roman, have a little faith,” she placed her hand on his face, “we’ll tell you, eventually.” 

The man looked enthralled. His eyes were slightly glazed over. Roman looked away with a harsh grunt.

“Besides, we’re done with Dust.” Cinder added as she walked past him.

“So what now?” Roman stuttered.

“We’re moving. Make sure the White Fang clear out this building. I will send you details and coordinates, tonight.”

Roman’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. A question was on the tip of his tongue.

“I’m going to work on a side project, and I want you to help.” Cinder vaguely answered.

Cinder, Emerald and Mercury began to walk away. Roman took out a cigar from his pocket. He cursed as he noticed Emerald flashing a smug grin at him. The girl stole his lighter. She stuck her tongue out defiantly.

* * *

The seven students went back to RWBY’s dorm. Ruby sat in her bed, lazily kicking her feet. Yang cracked her knuckles. 

Weiss looked at each of them, “We should look into this tomorrow,” she sent a stern glance to a tired Blake, “I _mean_ it. No sneaking out tonight, and don’t even _think_ of skipping school!”

“No sneaking.” Blake replied, somewhat out of it. 

_She needs sleep._

Weiss sighed, “Before we plan, _someone_ needs some rest.”

Weiss softly ushered Blake into bed. She was out like a light.

“Now, we will go out in pairs or trios.”

Ruby leapt off of the mattress and onto the floor. She almost landed on Weiss.

“We should think of the pairs, right now!”

“I was getting to that.” Weiss said softly.

“I have an idea.” Neptune said. He winked at Weiss.

Weiss didn’t react.

“How about you and me?” Neptune suggested.

“How about _no._ ” Weiss sharply replied.

Sun winced, “Ooooh, man, that’s _rough._ ” 

Neptune walked over to a corner and sat down.

Ruby stared at him, clearly worried.

“Is he going to be okay, Sun?”

“Yeah, just ignore him. It happens whenever he’s rejected.”

Weiss scoffed. Yang laughed. _Hard._

“Can you partner up with me, instead?” Ruby timidly asked.

“Of _course._ ” Weiss said with a smile.

Ruby cheered, hugging the girl.

Weiss hid her blush.

Neptune wailed quietly.

“Hey! Neptune, I got you.” Yang said as she rushed over to him.

“Huh?”

“Be my partner.”

He turned to her, “Sure.” 

Neptune looked giddy.

_And he’s moved on, just like that._

Sun raised his fist, “Alright! Time for Wild, Black Bow and I to smack Roman down again!”

‘Not sure if I could help you guys.’

“Nah, you can.” 

‘You can’t be serious.’

“I am!” Sun said with a bright grin.

“Okay! The mini teams are ready. Our next objective is to sleep!” Ruby announced. 

“Goodnight.” Weiss said.

Link left and went to his dorm room. He was met with a disgruntled Button. The bird searched for the sound of the door opening. Button snapped his tiny gaze away from Link. The boy slowly walked up to him. The bird puffed up.

He sighed, feeling dejected.

_He’s been like this ever since that mission. But why? Did I do something wrong? Did I not pay enough attention to him? Does he want to leave? I don’t get it. What did I do?!_

_Why is nothing going right?_

He shook that thought out of his head. He was fine. 

Link warily glanced at his bed. _I should take Weiss’ advice, but those nightmares will come back._

He weighed his options. Sleep, and get a brand new, wonderful nightmare, or stay up for the umpteenth time. 

He was down right exhausted, but he had to stay alert. _Awake._

Button chirped. He flew over to Link’s bed and hopped on it. 

_I really shouldn’t upset Button more._

He went to bed and fell asleep. 

I kneeled in front of a small winged statue. I let out a shaky breath.

“Hi mommy, daddy! I hope you’re okay, wherever you are. I know that you don’t want me to be sad, so I have good news! I’ve been staying at a really cool town! It has water and really nice people. I don’t really feel sad or lonely. I think it’s ‘cause of Miphs.”

I smiled, “Oh! I think you’d like Miphs, mommy. She’s really kind, like you!” 

“Link, what are you doing?” 

I turned around to see Mipha. 

“Nothin’, just talking to my mommy and daddy.” 

She sat down beside me, “Really, what did you say?”

I blushed, “It’s kinda weird!”

She shook her head, “I don’t think so. It’s sweet of you to talk to them.”

“Thanks, Miphs.”

“You’re welcome, Link.”

It was quiet, for a bit.

“I wish I could talk to my mother.” Mipha said.

“You can!” I replied.

“I’m not as sweet towards my mother, I suppose. I lost her a few months ago and yet I still feel so _bitter._ I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-”

“It’s okay, Miphs.”

“She was a great queen, a great _mother._ I couldn’t bare the thought of losing her and now, she’s gone. Before you came, I was very,” she stopped speaking.

“Sad?” I finished her sentence.

“Yes.”

I scrambled towards her, and hugged her tightly. 

“No, you can’t be sad, too!” I cried.

“Don’t fret, Link. I’m happier because of _you._ ”

I looked up at her. I grinned, even with tears rolling down my cheeks.

“You make me happy, too.”

Mipha gently touched my hair.

“I’m glad that I met you, Link.”

“Me too, Miphs!”

Months passed. Mipha’s birthday was coming up. I had to do something for her. 

I looked around for Muzu. He stood in front of the fish building. Once he saw me, he looked at me funny. Muzu still doesn’t like me and I don’t know why. 

But that doesn’t matter! 

“Muzu!” I called.

“ _What?_ ” Muzu snapped.

I hid my arms behind me. I was a little scared of him, but I tried not to show it.

“I want to give Mipha a present!”

He huffed, “Do you honestly _believe_ Lady Mipha would like a gift from a dirty _Hylian?_ ”

“Um, I dunno but Miphs might smile if I get her something! That’s all I want.”

“I suppose I can aid you, _Hylian._ ” 

“Thank you!”

I ignored how mean he sounded. 

“There is a rare and precious sapphire located in Ploymous Mountain.”

He had a grin on his face. It didn’t seem nice.

_Wait. There’s a big scary monster there._

“It has a _huge_ monster! I don’t think I can beat it.”

“Didn’t you say that you want to give Lady Mipha a gift?”

“But-”

“If you _don’t_ get that sapphire for her, it would be disrespectful, you little-!” Muzu stopped himself.

“Can you come with me?” I asked, trying to change the topic.

“I cannot believe how _brainless_ you are! Did you happen to forget that lightning is fatal to us?” 

“I’m sorry!” 

“Don’t waste your breath, apologizing to me. Just get out of my sight!”

_I’m so scared. The Zoras say that the monster is really, really bad. They can’t fight it, either._

It took an hour to make it to the mountain. Shock arrows were stuck in a bunch of trees. 

My heartbeat quickened with every step I took. 

I heard hooves lightly clopping on the grass. 

I hid behind a large rock.

_I only have a short sword._

I peeked my head out. 

There it was. A Lynel.

It was _way_ bigger than me. The Lynel had a dark red mane and tail. It had scarred light brown skin; almost gray, and large curved horns. Its four legs had tufts of fur and bandages. Its eyes were light green. Armor covered a bit of its chest and lower body.

The Lynel had a sword, shield and a bow. 

It saw me.

_It saw me. It saw me! It saw me!_

It stayed there, looking at me. Its arms were at its sides. I slid down the rock, sitting on the ground.

_I can’t do this, I can’t do this._

It made a weird sound. 

It got closer. 

I tried to run away. It chased me. 

I saw a sparkling blue gem, somewhere on the ground. 

The Lynel slammed into me. I yelped as I crashed into a nearby rock. I spotted the gem. 

_I think I can get it._ I reached out. My finger almost touched it.

The Lynel galloped towards me. It trampled over my arm. 

It broke with a loud crack.

I sobbed and screamed. I used the rock to get up. 

I nabbed the sapphire as fast as I could.

The Lynel roared. It circled me, then put its hands on the ground. It growled, dashing towards me. It knocked me down. I tumbled, nearly falling off the cliff. 

The Lynel took its sword off its back. It waved the heavy sword in the air. It swung. 

It cut my throat. Deep.

I gurgled, trying to breathe.

I couldn’t.

_I can’t speak. I can’t speak!_

The force of the blade, and the strength of the monster sent me off the cliff.

I fell into the bright blue water.

_Please, help me._

Thin red tentacles wrapped around my wrists and pulled me down. I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I found myself standing in a forest. The bark of the trees were gray, while the leaves were dry and black. 

I faintly grasped my throat. It was smooth, but I knew that I still couldn’t speak.

I shook my head as I carefully walked through the forest. A tattered red cloak was caught in one of the branches. 

_Isn’t that Ruby’s?_

I climbed the tree, only to slip and fall. 

_What? That’s not possible._

I glared at the tree and continued walking. 

Team RWBY were slumped against a few trees. 

Ruby sat on the ground, leaning on a tree. She looked directly at me with her silver eyes wide open. Terror and hope swam in her eyes. 

I tore my gaze away from her. She roughly grabbed my wrist. I glanced at her again. Her eyes glowed.

I walked away. I saw her sister.

Yang didn’t look any better. She was enraged. Bright red eyes stared back at me. The girl tightly clutched her arm. She was almost frozen in time.

I walked towards Weiss. The trees near her were frozen solid and extremely close together. It was like a prison. I couldn’t see her expression.

I touched the frozen tree and walked off. In the corner of my eye, I saw Blake run off.

_Where is she going?_

I ran after her. She looked back. 

“Stay _away_ from me! I’m _never_ coming back to you!” Blake screamed.

_I never heard Blake sound so terrified. Who is she-_

I remembered what she told us. She ran away from an ex-boyfriend.

_Oh._

Even so, I caught up with her. She disappeared, leaving black rose petals in her wake. 

Instead of RWBY, I saw JNPR. 

Nora and Ren held hands. They wore solemn expressions. I walked past them.

Pyrrha kneeled against a dying maple tree. The once vibrant orange leaves were dry and cracked. Two leaves fell onto her chest. 

Her emerald eyes were dull. Her skin was abnormally pale. 

“Why didn’t you save me?” Pyrrha whispered. Her voice was hoarse.

She choked and took her last breath.

I crouched down besides her. I reached out to her.

Pyrrha faded away.

I shuddered. 

I felt eyes boring into my skull. My head whipped around. 

It was Jaune. 

His dark blue eyes burned with _hate_ and fury. He clenched his fists. His shoulders tensed. He let out a something akin to a scream or growl. I couldn’t tell.

Jaune pushed me into a tree. He had a death grip on my shoulders.

“It’s _your_ fault! It’s your fault that Pyrrha’s-” 

He chuckled, shaking his head. It was empty.

“Stop playing the hero. You aren’t good at it, anyway.” 

He let go. 

His hands instantly found my neck.

_Jaune, no! Don’t, please._

He squeezed. I clawed at his hands. He tightened his grip.

The fear on my face must have shown because he _smirked_ at me. 

“Though, there’s _one_ thing you’re good at.” Jaune whispered.

His eye color changed. It was a deep, dark red.

His voice deepened, too.

“Dying.” 

Link woke up.

He coughed violently. 

The boy sat in his bed for a few minutes. 

He took out his Scroll. 

He was late for class.

Link didn’t care. 

He stayed in his dorm room until the last bell rung.

There was a knock. Then three more.

“Hey, Link, open up!” Yang called. 

Sighing, Link walked up to his door. He opened it. Flashes of his most recent nightmare invaded his head. He blinked it away.

Team RWBY wore white and black variants of their usual outfits.

“Link! Where were you?” Ruby asked.

‘Here.’

“Why?” Blake cut in.

‘Nightmare.’ 

“Wanna talk about it?” Ruby suggested.

‘No.’

“Now that class is officially over, we should call Sun and Neptune over.” Weiss firmly announced, changing the topic.

“No need!” 

Five heads turned to the sight of Sun in a tree. He began peeling a banana.

“Hey guys!”

“Hello Sun.” Blake greeted.

“Where is Neptune?” Weiss questioned. 

Sun tilted his head as he ate the banana, “Behind you, actually.”

Weiss’ eyes widened in surprise. 

They looked back, and there he was. 

Neptune waved to them, “‘Sup?”

Silence.

“How did you-” Blake started. Confusion was in her voice.

“Get up here? Easy, the power of stairs.” Neptune replied. 

Link opened his window, letting Sun come inside. 

“What are we gonna do, now?” Sun asked.

“Plan.” Weiss sharply replied. 

Everyone sat down. 

“Ruby and I will go to the CCT and check the Schnee records for other Dust robberies. Since I _am_ a Schnee, this won’t be difficult.”

“We can sneak into a White Fang meeting. They usually recruit new members, so getting in might be easy.” Blake said as she glanced at Link and Sun.

Yang placed her hand on her chin, “A bar owner I know has lots of information on shady people in Vale,” she put her fist in her hand, “if he doesn’t answer my questions, then he’ll get another punch to the face.” 

Link raised his eyebrows.

Neptune drooled. 

“What? He didn’t give me a drink, so I punched him.”

_That’s not okay, Yang!_

“Or did he ruin my hair? It’s hard to remember.” Yang mused.

_That isn’t any better!_

Ruby groaned, “Now isn’t the time, Yang!”

“I agree, we should focus on finding Roman.” Weiss added.

Yang dismissively waved her hand, “Yeah, yeah, I know.” 

“Great! We’ll meet up near Yang and go over what we found.”

“When?” Neptune asked.

“Oh! Tonight.”

They nodded.

Ruby stood up, “Let’s go!”

* * *

Ruby and her partner walked towards a massive tower. It loomed over the sparse amount of trees. The team leader stared at the tower in awe. She rapidly shook Weiss’ arm.

“Wow! The Transmit tower looks so _huge_ up close!” 

Weiss’ soft smile turned into a prideful smirk, “You should see the one in Atlas.”

“Is it bigger?”

“No, but Atlas created it first.”

“Atlas seems awesome! There’s so much technology!” 

Weiss covered her grimace with a forced smile, “Atlas is wonderful,” the girl switched topics, “speaking of technology, Atlas developed the CCTS, or the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another.” 

Ruby put her hands to her hips, “I’m Weiss, I’m rich and I know everything about anything!”

Ruby laughed into her hand once she saw Weiss’ frown. Weiss cleared her throat.

“I’m Ruby Rose! I _really_ like weapons, especially my beautiful baby, Crescent Rose!” Weiss cheered in a high pitched voice.

Ruby doubled over laughing, “I didn’t expect you to do that!”

Weiss laughed softly, “A Schnee has many tricks, Ruby.”

Ruby’s laughter slowly subsided, “I need two things right now.”

“Are one of those things air?” Weiss asked.

Ruby sputtered, her laughter threatened to return, “Make that _three_ things. One, I need a picture of the tower, two, I gotta tell the team about this, three, air would be nice.”

The younger girl grabbed her Scroll from her pocket. It clattered to the ground, landing near Penny’s feet.

The girl picked it up, handing it to Ruby. 

“Here!”

Ruby did a double take, “ _Penny?!_ ”

Penny blinked. She took a step back. 

“Sorry, I don’t know you.” 

Penny hiccuped. The girl turned around and sped walked away.

“What was tha - and Ruby’s gone.” Weiss lamented. She let out an angry sigh as she watched Ruby chase after Penny.

Penny picked up the pace, running through the streets until she stopped at a clay stairwell. 

Ruby zoomed towards the other girl. She stood on the top of the stairs. 

“Penny! It’s been nearly two months, where did you _go?_ ”

“I don’t understand, why are you talking to me?”

Penny started to walk away. Ruby slid down the rail of the stairs.

“Is everything okay, Penny?” 

The girl didn’t react. Ruby grabbed her arm, stopping her. Penny faced her. 

“ _Please,_ tell me what happened to you that night!”

Ruby continued to ramble, mentioning Roman and Tukson’s murder.

“That’s awfully dangerous, Ruby.” 

“That’s not the point, Penny! You went missing and no one _cared._ ” 

Penny sighed.

“No worries, Ruby, I am okay.” 

She hiccuped again. 

“I really must go.”

“At least give me your number, Penny!”

The girl frowned, “I can’t, now please, let it go.” 

Penny briskly walked off.

“Wait!”

“If I tell you, you’ll hate me!”

“I won’t, Penny, _please!_ ” 

“Just leave me alone, Ruby.”

Penny hiccuped. She ran, scraping her hand on something. A thin cut appeared on her hand, exposing gray metal beneath her skin. 

Ruby frowned. She softly called out to Penny, who was long gone.

“What happened to you?” Ruby murmured.

The girl walked back to the CCT tower and waited for Weiss.

* * *

Weiss strolled through the grand and glowing CCT tower lobby. She walked with pride. The girl headed straight to the gray elevator doors. It automatically slid open, then closed once Weiss stepped inside. The panel near the door lit up as a computerized voice rang out.

“Good afternoon. Welcome to the CCT, how may I help you?”

“Take me to the communications room, please.” 

“Very well. Can you place your Scroll on the terminal to confirm your identity?”

Weiss took out her Scroll and placed it as directed.

“Thank you, Miss Schnee.”

The elevator ascended. Weiss’ pleasant expression shifted to a serious one. The doors opened, revealing a large circular room filled with cubicles. A holographic monitor was attached to the light blue walls. It displayed four symbols, which represented the kingdoms. Twin axes and wreaths, three flying swords pointing down, a spear and a shield inside a fractured circle, and lastly, a precise winged shape. 

Weiss walked up to the front desk. A holographic secretary appeared in the seat. A number of beeps were heard. 

“Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center. How may I help you, today?”

The secretary sounded polite but tired.

“I would like to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas.”

“Of course.”

There were more beeps.

“Please head to Terminal 3, and I’ll connect you.”

“Thank you!” Weiss replied.

Weiss smiled and nodded. She walked over to her assigned cubicle-like computer. She sat down, taking a deep, unhappy breath.

A person popped up, on the screen. The Schnee emblem rotated in the corner. She was distracted. 

“Thank you for calling the At- Miss Schnee, hello! Good afternoon to you. Would you like me to connect you to your father?”

Weiss held back a wince. 

“No, thank you. I was hoping if you can find some files for me. I created a short list, too.” Weiss pleasantly said. 

The white haired girl put her Scroll into a slot on the keyboard. It produced a series of quiet beeps. The operator thoroughly looked at the data from her own screen.

Her eyes held uncertainty. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is _this_ for?”

“School project.” Weiss swiftly lied.

“Um,” the lady paused, sounding nervous, “there are sensitive documents on the list, ma’am.”

“I’ll make sure to handle them with care.”

“ _Right._ I’ll just transfer the information to your Scroll, then.”

“Great! That’ll be all.” Weiss replied. She wore a satisfied smile on her face.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to connect you to your father before you leave?”

The girl’s smile slipped. She replaced it.

“Yes, I’m sure. Goodbye.”

“Have a wonderful day!” 

The call ended. Weiss’ bubbly act shattered. She stared at the screen with a frown.

**Potato #2 has entered Super Secret Mission.**

**Potato #2:** @Potato #1, I received information on Roman and Tukson. Robberies began in the run down cities of Vale, and recently occurred in the heart of Vale city. He targeted shops with absurd amounts of Dust. As for Tukson, the official report states that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, it also noted that he was shot multiple times. Tukson had a small criminal record. Petty theft and the like. 

**Potato #1 has entered Super Secret Mission.**

**Potato #1:** Wow, Weiss! Thank you!!

**Potato #2:** You’re welcome, Ruby.  
**Potato #2:** Oh, I just remembered. Did you talk to Penny?

**Potato #1:** I couldn’t get through to her. I feel horrible. What kind of friend just sits there and does nothing to help?! She ran away and I…

**Potato #1 has deleted a message.**

**Potato #1:** Yeah!! I did! She’s okay! But right now  
**Potato #1:** we gotta focus!  
**Potato #1:** @Potato #4 How’s it goin, sis?

* * *

The sound of an engine ripped through the quiet lower Vale city. A yellow motorcycle pulled into the street, right in front of a bar. 

“My friend is right inside, let’s go!”

The blonde gestured with her thumb to the soft music playing nearby.

Yang took off her yellow helmet and goggles. She got off. A petrified Neptune sat behind her. His hair and goggles were in disarray. The boy was dazed.

“Cool.” He slowly replied 

He got off the bike and shook his head, magically fixing his appearance. He worriedly glanced at the bar.

“Where exactly is,” he paused, “here?”

Yang looked through a window. A man stood behind the bar, adjusting his cuffs, as his employees stocked bottles, carried boxes or idle around. She saw a worker make eye contact with her. They froze up, then rushed towards their boss.

“Close the door! She’s coming!” They yelled. 

That worker, including the others, rolled the door shut and blocked it. Yang smirked. She punched the door as she fired several explosive shots. The door swung open, knocking the workers down.

Music blasted as soon as they entered the bar. The bar’s color scheme resembled the three other members of team RWBY. A white dance floor was in the center. Red holographic trees were placed around the room. The walls were pitch black.

Yang smiled fondly, “I _love_ this song!” 

She waved at them with a bright grin, “Your favorite customer is back!”

The blonde kept her smile even as eight guns were pointed at her face. She ignored the angry stares from the gunmen. She sent a glare at the sound of distorted music. A frightened bear-headed DJ took the needle off the record and ducked under the table.

Neptune leaned to the side, behind Yang, “Yang, can you define ‘friend’ for me?”

The man cut his way through the tiny crowd. He straightened his tie. 

“Stop! _Don’t_ shoot.”

He addressed Yang, “You’re here! _Why?_ ” 

“ _You_ still owe me a drink, Junior.” 

“You’re seventeen.” Junior shot back.

Yang ignored him and dragged him by the arm. Neptune lingered for a moment, completely lovestruck until he saw a pair of twins. 

Junior sat behind the bar, wiping a glass. Yang stood in front. Her hands gripped the edge of the bar. Irritation was written all over her face.

“Where. Is. _Roman?_ ” 

“I’m telling you, I _don’t_ know!”

“ _Twenty eight_ Dust robberies! Do you not watch the news, Junior?” 

“Well, it was actually forty robberies.” Neptune added.

The two ignored him. He pouted.

“I have _no_ idea where he is! A news report won’t tell me where he is now.”

“So, you haven’t talked to him, either?” Neptune asked.

There was a lull in the interrogation.

“What kind of question is that? Of course I haven’t spoke to him! I haven’t _even_ seen him ever since the night _you,_ ” he glanced at Yang, “first came here. I gave him some of my boys and that’s it.” 

“That isn’t _enough._ ”

“That’s all I have on the guy!”

“Do you want your club to be destroyed again?” Yang threatened.

“No, we _just_ repaired the damages, last night.”

“You better answer me, then.”

“Alright. Before you wreaked havoc on my club, he walked in, talking to someone on his Scroll. He mentioned a plan.”

“That plan was?” Neptune prodded.

“I don’t remember.”

Yang slammed her fist into the bar, “How can you forget?”

“It’s been _months._ Besides, it isn’t my business.” 

Yang growled, lunging for Junior. Neptune held her back.

“Let’s just leave.” Neptune said.

They left.

**Potato #4 has entered the chat.**

**Potato #4:** i rlly hate junior rn omg w h y  
**Potato #4:** “i dont know” he says  
**Potato #4:** j u s t answer my questions  
**Potato #4:** in short, we got nuthin. sorry ruby.

**Potato #1:** It’s okay, Yang!! You tried your best!

**Potato #3 has entered the chat.**

**Potato #3 has left the chat.**

**Golden Potato has entered the chat.**

**Golden Potato:** Hey guyz! Sun here. Blake, and Link are here, too!  
**Golden Potato:** Oh, Blake is telling me to log out.  
**Golden Potato:** I’ll see ya later, bye!

**Golden Potato has left the chat.**

* * *

Blake’s fingers traced three claw marks on a wall. She peeked around the corner, spotting a pair of horned Faunus. They were ushered into a building by a bearded man. The girl turned to Sun and Link.

“This is it.” 

Link nodded.

“You sure?” Sun questioned.

Blake sent him a glare as she moved towards the entrance. She unfastened her bow. 

“I’ve been here before, Sun.” Blake hissed quietly. 

“Right, right.”

The three walked inside, and headed to a hallway filled with cases. A man guided them to the right. The room they entered had one color. Dark gray. There was a stage and two balconies. A curtain emblazoned with the White Fang insignia was attached to the stage. 

Sun held three half-masks in his hands. They were heavily based on Grimm. 

Sun hummed softly, “I don’t get it, though,” he held out two of the half-masks, “if you think you’re doing good in the world, why hide who you are?”

_Why hide you are? He’s right, in a way. I shouldn’t keep secrets, especially if I trust RWBY and JNPR, but if Cinder gets a hold of who I truly am, I’m done for._

“The masks are a symbol of how humans see us. Monsters.” Blake explained.

_None of them are monsters. Blake is a quiet but guarded person, Sun is really funny._

Link took a mask and put it on. Sun followed suit. 

“That’s pretty dark.” Sun replied.

“So was the man who started it.” Blake added bitterly. She put the mask on, as well.

“I bet you love rain, Blake.” 

“I do, why?”

Sun laughed, “I _knew_ it!”

The new White Fang members moved in a line to the side of the stage. More than a hundred White Fang soldiers stood on the balconies to the left and right of the trio. The trio glanced around the room. A fully masked man began to speak. He thanked them for attending and invited a special guest. The curtains were drawn.

It was Roman. The man tapped his cane on the stage. He smiled confidently, even as the protests grew louder. 

Roman mockingly bowed to them, ”Thank you, thank you! Please hold your applause.”

A short woman walked out of the curtain, standing to the left of Roman. Her eyes and hair were two different colors. Her left eye was pink, while her right was brown. The right half of her hair was pink, while the left was brown. The pink side had white streaks.

The woman wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, black and white boots with high heels. Under her jacket was a brown corset. It was curved in the middle and at the bottom. The corset exposed her hips. She also wore a multitude of beaded necklaces.

“What’s a _human_ doing here?!” Someone shouted in outrage.

“I’m so glad you asked, _Deerie._ I’ll confess, humans are the absolute worst,” he motioned to himself, “and in this case, they’re worse than a lowly criminal such as me.”

Sun leaned over to Blake, “I wonder if he’s complimenting himself.” 

Link held back a laugh. 

“There is a poor Faunus who is lost in a sea of vicious, manipulative humans. They took him in with ‘open arms’ and now the kid is neglected, forced to hide his emotions. Wouldn’t it be better for him to join the White Fang? Wouldn’t you all like to see him smile?”

The new White Fang members rallied together, cheering for the boy. 

A few of them begged for the child’s name. They got their answer. Roman’s lips curled into a devious grin. 

“Link Dorephan.”

_Oh no._

“We have to get out of here. Now.” Blake whispered with urgency.

Roman scanned the room. 

“If you want to save this kid, come forward!” Roman shouted. 

The group of Faunus surged forward, causing the three to follow along. The recruits, including the trio were marched to the stage.

“How?” Sun whispered back.

Blake bit her lip. She noticed a junction box on the wall.

“The lights.” Blake said.

“Yeah, we can shut them off. Nice.”

‘I won’t be able to see.’

Sun sucked in a breath. 

“I can carry you.” Sun offered.

‘I hope this works.’

“It will!” Sun replied reassuringly.

Roman’s eyes landed on the trio.

Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud and transformed it into a pistol. She shot the box. The lights went out.

“Sun, the window!”

Sun scooped Link into his arms and made a mad dash towards the window. Blake quickly trailed behind him. 

“Sic ‘em!” Roman yelled. 

Link heard multiple footsteps rushing near them, then a thud. Sun grunted.

Link fell. 

He was helpless. He hated it. 

Something hit the back of his head. He was knocked unconscious.

When he came to, he found himself on a bed. Link didn’t recognize the room. A lamp and five sheets of paper were placed on a wooden desk. The lamp worked, somehow.

_Where am I? Am I still at the meeting? Where are my things?_

Roman and that two toned woman barged into the room. 

“My associate has talked about you, a _lot._ It’s getting annoying but what can I do?” 

Roman shrugged. 

_He doesn’t seem to realize that we “met” before. That’s good. But who is that associate?_

“You see, they’ve been wanting answers, and they _definitely_ weren’t nice about it.” Roman explained. 

_About me, I’m guessing._

“So why don’t we have a little chat, kid?” Roman asked. It was phrased as an order, than a question. The woman nodded along.

Link scowled and shook his head. 

“So the kid has a mean streak.” Roman thought aloud to himself. 

“If you don’t want to talk, I’ll have Neo,” he gestured to the woman, “ _make_ you. Sounds good?” Roman threatened.

Neo produced a parasol that matched her color scheme. She pulled off the handle of the umbrella. The shaft of the umbrella was also a long cylindrical blade. The woman gave him a sadistic grin. He kindly smiled back. Neo blinked. 

_Neo, I’ve been here before._

The woman walked over to Link and pointed the blade at his neck. 

_If only my arms and legs weren’t broken._

He sighed. At this point, he wasn’t afraid. Attempts on his life were fairly common, so it didn’t matter much.

Link raised an eyebrow.

“What is _with_ this kid?” Roman muttered. 

Minutes passed. Roman grew antsy and _just_ a bit hostile. He cornered Link and clicked his tongue. 

“Cat got your tongue, Link?”

He stayed silent. 

Roman kicked the leg of the desk in frustration. 

Once the man looked at Link, the boy put his hand on his neck. 

“That _doesn’t_ mean you can’t write, Green.”

_Green is what you come up with? Really?_

He took his time “thinking” about it, then shook his head again. 

“I saw you write to those kids.”

Silence.

“ _Talk,_ you brat.”

_I have nothing to lose but my secret. If I die, then Roman will get what he’s looking for. I have to stall for time._

“You know what? Have some fun with Neo, you’ll like her.” 

With that, he left the room with a huff. Neo removed the blade, placing it back into the umbrella. She picked up a piece of paper. She took out a pen from her jacket pocket.

‘You’re mute, like me.’

Link nodded.

‘It’s nice to know that there’s someone like me.’ 

She passed the pen and paper to him.

‘I’m pretty sure I don’t look like ice cream.’ 

Neo laughed. It was quiet. 

Link passed them back.

‘It’s a shame you’re with those losers.’

‘They’re _my_ losers.’ 

‘I have my own loser, too.’ Neo smiled softly.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be threatening my life, right now?’ Link interrupted.

‘Roman did say to have fun talking to me.’ Neo wrote with a cheeky smirk.

‘That’s true.’ 

_Even though Neo works with Roman, she seems okay. Hopefully, she won’t try anything._

‘Oh, I have a question. It’s for Roman.’ Link wrote. Neo narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

‘What does he have to do with Tukson’s murder?’

‘Nothing.’ Neo underlined the word _twice._

* * *

**Potato #3 and Golden Potato have entered the chat.**

**Golden Potato:** THIS. IS. SO. BAD.  
**Golden Potato:** GUYS. WE NEED BACKUP!  
**Potato #3:** It’s about Link.  
**Potato #3:** @Potato #1, @Potato #2, @Potato #4, @Water Potato. 

**Four users have entered the chat.**

**Potato #1:** Blake, Sun, what’s going on?!  
**Potato #3:** Roman is holding Link hostage.  
**Potato #1:** WHAT? How did that happen?!  
**Golden Potato:** Roman went ham on a speech about “saving a Faunus” and he saw us!! More importantly, he saw Link!!!  
**Potato #3:** The Faunus was Link.  
**Golden Potato:** Yeah!! We cut the lights but that was a bad idea, ‘cuz the White Fang were there!!  
**Potato #3:** They cornered us, before we could jump out the window. Roman shot Sun, then threw the cane to a White Fang recruit. They knocked Link out.  
**Potato #2:** How did the both of you manage to escape?  
**Potato #4:** weiss, does tht rlly matter rn?  
**Potato #2:** I suppose it doesn’t.  
**Water Potato:** Where are you guys???

**Potato #3 has sent a location.**

 

**Potato #1:** Everyone! Let’s get Link back!

Team RWBY, Sun and Neptune rushed to the scene. The White Fang building. Yang strolled towards the door and punched it. It broke. Without any hesitation, Yang walked inside.

“Shouldn’t we be more careful?” Neptune asked.

“That would waste time, which isn’t ideal.” Weiss curtly replied.

“I mean,” Sun started, “this _is_ a hostage situation.” 

“We can handle this!” Ruby argued. 

Yang turned around, “There’s no time for this! Let’s just do it!”

She sounded determined. 

“Right!” Ruby chirped.

They stormed inside. The six students were met with complete darkness. 

Sun used his Scroll, activating the Flashlight mode. He handed it to Ruby. 

“Thanks, Sun!” Ruby said.

Now that they could see, the students noticed that the building was empty.

“This is weird. Weren’t there White Fang members here, an hour ago?” Sun questioned.

“Don’t jinx it.” Blake said quietly.

A swarm of White Fang members crashed through another door.

“ _Sun!_ ” They all screeched in exasperation.

“I’m sorry, okay?!” 

“Freezerburn!” Ruby shouted. Weiss and Yang sprung to action. The other students backed away. Weiss froze the floor with Myrtenaster. Yang propelled herself into the air and pulled her fist back. She fired a large explosive shot as her fist crashed into the ice. It evaporated, creating a thick fog. 

The White Fang members were disoriented.

“Fire Flower!” Ruby commanded. Weiss jumped, summoning a glyph to reach Ruby. She stood behind her and extended her arm outward. The white haired girl created another glyph. It was placed in front of Crescent Rose. The blade of the scythe was embedded into the floor. 

Ruby fired. Several White Fang members went down as the flaming bullets hit them.

“Let’s just find Link!” Neptune hollered.

“Weiss, hold my hand!” Ruby yelled. 

“What?” Weiss stuttered.

“Do it!” 

Weiss nodded, and held her hand. Ruby used her Semblance, creating a white and red swirl. They stopped in front of a door. 

“What _was_ that?” Weiss gasped.

“I wanted to try something?” Ruby shyly admitted. 

Weiss shook her head. 

“Guys! Come over here!” Ruby yelled to them. 

The other students immediately ran towards the girls. 

“Why don’t we knock? Someone might answer.” Yang joked.

“Yang!” Ruby groaned. Yang stifled her laughter.

“I really _Yang’ed_ that one!” Yang said with a cheeky grin.

“Yang, quit it!” Weiss hissed. 

Yang shrugged, then punched the door. Ruby slashed at it. It broke apart. 

They stormed through the dark hallway. Blake and Sun heard something.

Sun narrowed his eyes in concentration, “That sounds like writing.”

“That sounds like you should mind your business.” 

Six heads snapped up. Sun waved.

“Oh hey, Roman! How’s it going?” 

Roman ignored him and aimed his weapon at Sun. He fired. Sun sidestepped.

“Neptune, cover me!” 

Sun stood in place. His hair and tail glowed. Neptune took his weapon from his hip. The weapon was primarily gray with a blue light above the grip. The grip and the butt end were fused. The barrel was boxy and had light gray patterns. The barrel also had a light blue tube.

The boy fired, once then twice. Roman twirled his cane, deflecting the bullets. Or so he thought. 

The bullets were electric. Light blue electricity burst once it came in contact with Roman’s cane. Neptune tapped the side of his head with two fingers.

The man fell. 

Sun created two golden clones, which barreled towards Roman. One exploded upon contact, while the other held him down. The man grunted.

“Where is Link?” Blake asked. 

Roman tsked. 

“How about we negotiate? If you let me go, I’ll tell you.”

“I have a _better_ idea.” Yang growled.

“Oh? It is ‘the heroes defeat the bad guy’ and let me escape, scot free? That’s a great idea, Goldilocks.” 

“What did you just call me?”

“I am innocent.” Was all Roman said. 

Yang’s eyes turned red. Her hair glowed. She punched Roman in the face. 

“You better tell us.” Yang commanded.

“Or else?”

“Maybe, we’ll call the police, right now. Or maybe I’ll beat you down into the ground. Pick one.” 

“I’ll pick the third option, thank you very much.”

“What thir-” Neptune was cut off.

“Neo! It’s time to _collect._ ” 

The two toned woman emerged. A vicious smirk was present on her face. She roughly held Link’s hair with one hand, while the other held her blade. 

“Link!” They yelled, all at once. 

_Oh, they came to rescue me. Somehow, I feel -_

_Bitter, angry, useless._

He cleared his thoughts.

_Grateful._

“The moment one of you take a step, the kid is gonna,“ he chuckled, “sleep with the fishes. Ah, I _love_ that phrase.”

The students shared a look.

“Uh, hey, Roman.” Sun tiredly said.

“Yes?” He drawled.

“Can we cheat a little?”

“Playing dirty, are we?”

“No, no, jus’, you know-” Sun slurred.

“Sun! Unsummon your copies, _now!_ ” Blake ordered.

“Blake, I gotta keep ‘em.” Sun whined. 

“One down, five to go.” Roman muttered.

“Not yet!” Blake replied. 

“Ruby, Weiss, do something!” Yang yelled. 

“On it.” Weiss retorted. She created a long line of glyphs on the floor. 

The second Ruby stepped on one, she hurtled towards Neo. Ruby combined her Semblance with the glyphs, making her go even _faster_. 

Neo was too overwhelmed to react. Ruby slashed Crescent Rose. Weiss created another glyph on the back of the blade. Neo was unable to retaliate, due to the speed. 

“ _Neo!_ ” Roman called as the woman collapsed. She gave Ruby a grin. 

Neo bowed to her. Ruby slashed Crescent Rose again. Neo seemingly teleported away, breaking like glass. 

Yang stood in front of them. 

“Blake, are you seeing this or am I going crazy?” Sun asked, clearly freaked out.

“We’re _all_ seeing this.” Blake replied. The rest of the students hummed in agreement.

The two Yangs stared each other down. The Yang who stood near her team, launched herself forwards. The Yang copy dodged, and ran towards the students, effectively trading places. 

“Yang” slowly walked towards a dizzy Sun. She sent a flurry of rapid, unrelenting jabs to Sun. As soon as he hit the ground, his clones vanished. His Aura flickered, then passed over his body.

Roman got up and dusted himself off, “ _Now,_ it’s five left, _kitty._ ”

Blake’s bow curled downwards.

“How do _you_ know about that?” She hissed in rage.

“The ‘brothers of the White Fang’ really _trust_ me, I guess.” Roman shot back.

He continued, glancing at Sun, “Besides,” he drawled, “shouldn’t you be more worried about that monkey?” 

 

Blake glared at him and briefly calmed down once she locked eyes with Ruby.

“Ruby, escape with Link!”

“But-”

Her doubts were left unsaid.

Blake’s face softened, “I’ll come with you. You’ll need my eyes, anyway.”

Blake sent a look to Weiss, “You think you can manage another round of glyphs?”

“Can I?” Weiss rolled her eyes.

“Can you?” Blake echoed.

“Yes! Yes, I can.” Weiss vehemently replied. She seemed spaced out. 

Weiss pointed Myrtenaster to the floor. A yellow glyph appeared. Time dilation. 

Blake stepped on it, and began to glow yellow. While the Dust infused glyph was still active, Weiss created a string of glyphs in front of Blake. 

Blake stood next to Ruby, in less than a minute. 

“Good luck guys!” Ruby called. 

Blake picked Link up and exited the hallway. Ruby followed her. 

Roman shook his head, “Such great intelligence, here.”

“Roman, I _will_ shut you up!” Yang promised.

“I believe you, I really do.” Roman added, sarcastically. 

“Neo, go after the two.”

The Yang copy broke apart, heading towards the doorless hallway.

“Weiss, Neptune! Attack him!” 

As Weiss attacked up close, Neptune fired a myriad of shots. They kept him busy while Yang ran after Neo.

The room they were in had light. It was bright enough, for the both of them. It flickered every so often.

Yang and Neo sized each other up. They stood very close to one another. Yang dwarfed Neo by a foot. The short woman smiled at her. Yang frowned back.

Yang tightened her fist, bringing it to Neo’s face. The punch was deflected by a white flash from Neo. Yang stumbled. The woman opened her umbrella. Her eye colors changed, according to her hair. 

Yang dashed towards her and unleashed a torrent of punches. It reset instead of redirecting her blows. Neo dodged, moving her body in a laid back manner. Neo continued to avoid Yang’s attacks, while the blonde advanced towards her. She did a roundhouse kick. Neo’s eyes switched back.

“I _swear_ if you don’t give me answers, either-” 

Neo tilted her head in puzzlement. The woman countered with a spinning hook kick. She knocked Yang to the ground. 

Yang grunted, “Tukson. Who’s responsible.” 

Neo responded with a thoughtful look and a drop kick. Yang rolled out of the way and got up.

“Tell me!” Yang growled. The girl attacked once more. Neo grabbed Yang’s arm and pulled it, using her left. She performed an axe kick right into her chin. She then kicked her stomach. Yang retaliated by using Ember Celica. Neo pushed Yang away with her umbrella. The woman pushed the girl into a wall.

Neo put her finger to her mouth. 

The girl let out a shout as she fired a shot at Neo’s feet. The woman jumped away. She waited for Yang’s next attack. 

Yang approached her. Loud, angry footsteps reverberated around the room. Neo taunted her with a smile. Before Yang had the chance to attack, Neo kicked her. The woman’s eyes changed again. Yang fired an explosive blast. Neo blocked it with her parasol as her eye colors switched.

They abruptly sparred, hand to hand. Yang pulled Neo close to her. The woman grappled Yang, using her momentum to throw her into the ceiling. 

Yang was brought back down, unconscious. 

Neo walked over to Yang, holding the now unconcealed blade. Her lips curled into a cruel smile. She raised the blade into the air.

Just before Neo delivered the killing blow, a red and black portal materialized. A woman stepped out. 

The woman wore a shallow cut black and red dress, five beaded necklaces, a red girdle-belt and a pair of matching gauntlets. She wore black gloves. 

An object that looked like black feathers hung from the right side of her skirt. She also wore detached black leggings with a red splatter pattern. She wore black boots that had red high heels and soles. 

She wore a full-face mask that resembled Grimm. The red and black slits of the mask hid her eyes. 

Her black hair was pinned up, into a ponytail. The ends looked like feathers. 

The woman charged and swung her dark red sword. Neo moved away, barely dodging the strike. Neo stopped. Her eye color switched to white. The woman spun around and slashed at Neo’s abdomen. It knocked her back. The woman sheathed her sword and changed the blades in the sheath’s revolving chamber. She drew her sword. The blade became bigger. 

Neo “teleported” away with a flash of light.

The woman sheathed the blade as she walked towards Yang. She kneeled, checking on the girl.

The woman stood up and created a portal. 

Yang came to just as the woman disappeared.

* * *

Weiss was knocked out by Roman, a while ago. 

“This is really bad.” Neptune mumbled, over and over.

“It’ll get worse.” Roman replied with a snide smile.

Neptune glanced at Sun, who was still down. 

Roman slowly twirled his cane.

“You _could_ run along with your Ice Princess and that idiot. Which, I might add, is a win for the both of us.”

When Neptune didn’t respond, Roman continued.

“Or you can join your friends, right on that floor.”

Neptune harshly bit his lip. He glanced at the two, then to Roman. 

“I’m trying to make it easier for you, kid. I’m being _generous,_ that doesn’t happen often, so take my advice and run away.”

Neptune fired several shots. The bullets electrocuted Roman, stunning him. Neptune picked Sun and Weiss up. He bolted out the building. 

**Water Potato has entered the chat.**

**Water Potato:** omg i can’t beLIEVE that WORKED.

**Potato #1 and Potato #3 have entered the chat.**

**Potato #1:** What worked?  
**Water Potato:** I cheesed the fight, then ran.  
**Potato #1:** Huh?  
**Water Potato:** I might have overused my gun?  
**Potato #1:** That’s a good strategy!  
**Water Potato:** It was kinda boring and cheap, tho.  
**Water Potato:** Anyway, are you guys alright?  
**Potato #1:** Yeah! Blake and I are okay. Oh! Link is fine, too.  
**Potato #3:** We found his Scroll and that tablet.  
**Water Potato:** Niceeee.  
**Potato #3:** How’s Sun?  
**Potato #1:** Is Weiss okay?  
**Water Potato:** They’re still K.O.’ed.  
**Water Potato:** Hold on, where’s Yang?

**Potato #4 has entered the chat.**

**Potato #4:** im alive. Outside the building rn.  
**Potato #1:** Yang!!!!  
**Potato #4:** heya ruby.  
**Potato #1:** We should go back to Beacon, guys.  
**Potato #4:** u can say tht again!

And so, the students returned to Beacon Academy. They slipped into RWBY’s dorm.

Link revealed that Roman had little to do with the murder.


	29. Breakdancing and Entering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confrontation between Link and team RWBY occurs. 
> 
> Team JNPR drags Link to a clothing store to prepare for the dance.
> 
> Nora and Link have a talk. Yang confronts Blake. Ruby hits Link with another heartfelt talk.
> 
> In the meantime, the plan that Cinder created, comes into fruition.

“What do you mean that Roman has _nothing_ to do with the murder?!” Yang shouted as she paced around the room. The girl was in obvious disbelief. 

‘That’s what I heard from Neo.’ Link rewrote. 

“And you _actually_ believe her?” Blake skeptically questioned. She raised an eyebrow. 

‘Her words are kind of credible.’

“In _what_ world is a criminal’s words credible, Link?” Weiss snapped.

‘It just seemed like she respected him?’

“Which means she could _lie._ ” Blake shot back.

He shrugged, ‘That’s all I got from her.’ 

“Thanks for _helping, _I guess!” Yang yelled at Link. She threw her hands into the air, in agitation.__

“Guys! Neo could be telling the _truth!_ If she really liked Roman, why would she throw him under the bus and point fingers?” Ruby cut in.

Sun snapped his fingers and pointed to Ruby, “That’s right! Neo either covered for him-”

Neptune finished the blonde’s sentence, “Or! She decided to clear the air, so no one would blame Roman!”

Blake let out a low, monotone cheer, “Yay, friendship.”

Sun laughed.

‘We may never know who did it, but-’

“But, what? Just _forget_ that someone died, Link? You of all people shouldn’t even _suggest_ that.” Blake hissed. She seemed enraged, even angrier than Yang. Her eyebrows furrowed into a dark scowl.

Anything else she or team RWBY said were muffled. Distant.

Blake’s words invaded his head, threatening to awaken old memories.

_Could I even forget them? My parents? The Champions? Zelda?_

_I forgot all about them, once. I was free from their deaths. I didn’t have any guilt or pain._

_I don’t want to lose my memories of them, again, but it still hurts. It hurts to think of them, to remember them. The guilt eats at me. I’m scared that the guilt will completely consume me, to the point where I’ll lose myself._

“Link! _Link!_ ” A voice called. 

Ruby.

_I don’t want to forget my new friends, either._

_They won’t leave me, would they?_

_Don’t leave me._

Something or some _one_ shook him.

“Snap _out_ of it.” A voice ordered him.

It was Yang.

Link blinked.

“Are you alright, Link?” Weiss asked.

The Hylian boy didn’t answer. He grabbed his crutches and walked out.

Link traversed through the school, reaching his dorm room. He opened the door and went inside. Button gave him a tiny glare. He did his best to ignore it. 

He stayed up that night. Or so he thought.

Link woke up to the sound of chatter. The bright morning sun nearly burned his eyes.

The passing conversations were about the dance.

“Do you know who you’re gonna ask?”

“Yeah! He’s so-” the girl let out a squeal.

“Man, this tux is _so_ not my style.” A boy complained.

“At least you’ll get some girls.” Another boy replied.

An awkward laugh. “About that.” The voice trailed off.

“Oh, you’re definitely gettin’ hot guys with that tux. They’ll be standing in a single file line, trying to ask you to the dance!”

“Dude!” The first boy exclaimed in awe.

“ _Bro._ Trust me, I’ll be the first person in that line.”

“ _Yo._ ”

“Told you that you’ll get guys, dude.”

The other boy sobbed? Or laughed? Link wasn’t sure.

_I’m skipping out. I won’t be able to stand any of this._

Link wished to stay in his room, however it didn’t come true. He heard footsteps approach his door. 

Then, “Linky, you are _not_ staying in your room, again!”

Nora banged on the door. Link’s ears rang. He got up from his comfortable bed with an irritated groan. He opened his door to see four bright smiles. 

He blinked tiredly. He shut the door.

Nora slammed the door with her hammer, creating a hole. A turquoise eye peeked out.

“ _Here’s_ Nora!” Nora held the words as she growled. She jangled the doorknob. Sighing, Link opened the door. 

‘Hi Nora.’

“You’re under arrest for avoiding the _best_ Beacon Academy Dance!”

‘What’s my sentence?’

“ _You_ have to pick out an outfit for the dance with us _and_ attend it!” Nora pointed at Link with a fierce look in her eyes. She had a goofy, almost maniacal grin on her face.

‘And if I refuse?’

“Then Jaune will be depressed and nobody likes a sad Jaune!”

“Hey!” Jaune shouted in dismay. 

Nora grabbed Link’s hand and dragged him away. Team JNPR and Link left Beacon Academy. They wandered the streets of Vale, searching for clothing stores.

“So! Who’s asking out who, here?” Nora asked, moving behind her teammates and Link. She startled Pyrrha and Jaune. 

Pyrrha and Jaune glanced at each other, blushing. Ren’s neutral expression cracked ever so slightly. Pink tainted his cheeks. Link didn’t react. He was too bitter and tired. 

Nora placed her hands on her hips. She shifted places, and stood in front of them. She walked backwards as she leaned forward. 

“Staring at each other doesn’t count as an answer!” 

Pyrrha’s face was red as her hair, “I’m sorry! I’m just so nervous.”

Nora waved her off, “Psh, you don’t have to be! Nothing bad is gonna happen, besides the crushing rejection you might face, but you know-”

“Nora.” Ren called, stopping her in her tracks.

“Right, right. _Anyway._ Don’t be afraid Pyrrha, you have nothing to lose,” her face softened as she briefly glanced at Jaune, “even if that person says no, your friendship with them won’t change.”

Nora’s voice was firm yet gentle. She reassured the redhead. 

“Thank you, Nora.”

Pyrrha seemed relieved. She relaxed her shoulders and inhaled. Her emerald eyes shone with resolve as she glanced at Jaune. She tapped him and whispered something. Nora sent her a smile and a thumbs up. 

There was a moment of pure silence. 

Pyrrha broke it, saying, “Practice what you preach, Nora.”

Nora looked down, “I’ll try.”

She seemed downcast, which was strange to see. Her demeanor immediately changed back.

“Oh! I think I see it,” Nora squinted as she put her hand above her eyes, “the clothing store! Let’s go, guys!”

Nora scrambled, dashing through the sidewalks. Jaune and Pyrrha ran after her, while Ren slowly followed behind. The boy smiled fondly, shaking his head. Link glumly trailed after them.

They reached the store. Nora swung the glass door nearly off its hinges. She made a rapid “come here” motion with her hand. 

The rest of JNPR stepped inside. Link turned around, hoping to escape. Nora yanked his collar. He gagged and choked as he was forced inside the store. 

Link coughed, gasping for air when Nora let go.

‘Why was that necessary?’ 

“Resisting arrest _and_ escaping the police is against the law!” Nora replied.

Link rolled his eyes. 

“Let’s settle one thing before we look for fancy suits and dresses.” Nora said in a low tone.

“What is it, Nora?” Pyrrha inquired.

“If any of us doesn’t get a date to the dance, that person has to wear a dress,” she stared at the boys, “or something they _hate._ ” Nora glanced at Pyrrha. 

‘Can I leave?’

“Nope!” Nora said, popping the ‘p.’ 

Team JNPR scattered. Nora watched Link like a hawk. She walked alongside Ren, glaring back at Link. She put two fingers to her eyes then pointed to the boy. 

She rambled to Ren as quietly as she could. Link could still hear her hyperactive voice.

“We’ve been friends for _soooooo_ long! It’s crazy how we’re still together. I mean, not ‘together’ together! Not that I’m not saying that you’re _not_ handsome because, _wow,_ you’re very handsome but that’d be weird, right?” Nora nervously babbled.

Ren watched her in amusement. His cheeks were bright red, however. His reply was nearly silent.

“It wouldn’t be weird to be, um,” Ren’s voice trailed off. It got quieter, “ _‘together’ together._ ” 

Nora let out a small shriek, practically leaping into his arms. He almost fell over.

The girl gasped. Whether it was dramatic or real, Link couldn’t tell.

“Are you saying yes because you don’t want to wear a dress? Wearing a dress seems pretty uncomfortable, anyway!”

“I like you.” Came Ren’s calm reply.

“ _Phew._ It only took seven years to confess! _Finally,_ the gnats in my stomach are gone.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be butterflies?”

“Gnats are _way_ more annoying.”

_Blake was right. This is a waste of time._

Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse for his bitter heart, he saw Pyrrha and Jaune hold hands. The redhead was overjoyed, while Jaune wore an embarrassed smile on his lips.

He envied them, he despised the fact that they could love each other. He wanted that. He wanted to fall in love with Mipha, all over again. He couldn’t. 

Link was disgusted with himself.

He shouldn’t feel this way. He should be happy for them. 

_Why can’t I smile for them?_

_Why am I like this?_

He knew exactly why. _Mipha._ Her soft smile, her kind words. He missed her. 

Yes, he could finally, _finally,_ speak to her, but it wasn’t the same. She was dead. _Gone._

He shook his head, focusing on JNPR. They looked for outfits.

_Guess I should look for a dress, then._

With a huff, he walked around the store. He felt a little flustered as he searched for dresses. He remembered the first time he wore the Gerudo outfit. He was bashful and uncomfortable. He recalled that he outright refused to look at that man. He had shyly avoided his gaze and tried to tune out his compliments. 

It was weird, but necessary at the time. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t exactly _hate_ wearing it. 

He wanted to get out of his head. 

Link spotted a nice dark green dress. It was fairly short. The short sleeved dress had lace around the neck and shoulders. The ends of the dress also had lace. Link hummed softly as he grabbed the dress. He strolled towards team JNPR. 

Nora scrutinized the dress. Jaune blushed and hid his face. Pyrrha placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Ren only nodded in approval. 

“You need _five_ other things!” Nora yelled. 

‘I don’t think I do.’

“No, no, Linky. You need to be a showstopper, a woman dressed to _impress,_ you have to strut your stuff, Linky! You get it, don’t you?!”

‘I have several questions.’ 

Nora decided the conversation was done and turned around. She faced her teammates.

“I may not be the leader of JNPR, but today? I am! You,” she pointed to Jaune, “get a tiara! Link needs to be fancy! And you,” she enthusiastically pointed to Pyrrha, “Pyrrha, you’re on make-up duty! Lie,” she smiled and pointed to Ren, “ _stockings._ ” 

They saluted to her. The three students went off. 

As the seconds ticked by, Nora became more and more somber. 

“I noticed the way you looked at us.”

His heart sank into his stomach. He didn’t meet her eyes.

‘I’m sorry.’

“You have nothing to apologize for. I went through the same thing, you know. I was so _angry_ at kids who had parents. I was even angry at _Lie,_ can you believe that? So, I get it. That feeling, those looks. They’ll be there if you want it to _stay._ ”

‘How can I get rid of something like this, then?’

Nora looked thoughtful, “It’s gonna take a long time, you’re gonna have really down-down days, too, but I think you should try looking for what you lost.”

‘What?’

“Not _literally!_ I obviously couldn’t find my parents but I got something better. A real family. It was really tiny at first, but now, it’s” she stared off, watching the rest of JNPR with a fond smile, “a lot bigger.”

‘What if I’m not ready to replace-’ Link wrote bitterly. He grit his teeth.

“Nope, nope, nope! No replacing here, Linky! What I’m trying to say is, let _go,_ but not _too_ much. You can’t replace someone, I know _you_ understand that, but don’t let that loss control you. We should be happy, you _deserve_ to have good days, everyday. You deserve to be loved by someone again, Link.”

His paper had tear stains. Nora hugged him as tightly as she could.

Link sobbed. He wiped his tears away. Nora slowly let go. 

Within minutes, the three members of JNPR returned. The orange haired girl snapped back into her usual personality. 

A simple tiara with fake sapphires, dark blue lipstick, light pink blush, black eyeliner, pale brown eyeshadow and white stockings with two golden bows at the top were in a plastic basket.

‘I… Excuse me?’

“Now Link will be the prettiest girl, _ever!_ ” Nora announced. 

‘Um, guys, I don’t-’

“ _Linky,_ just let it happen.” Nora soothed him.

‘I give up. Fine.’

Nora bounced around and danced. Jaune, Ren and Pyrrha watched her. Jaune chuckled, clutching his sides. Pyrrha softly laughed, while Ren smiled.

Nora skidded to a stop. Realization was apparent on her face.

“ _Wait._ ”

“What’s wrong, Nora?” Ren asked.

“We forgot the shoes!” Nora hollered. She zoomed towards the shoes section, bringing Link with her. 

‘Can I have boots, at least?’

“No way!”

‘How about sneakers?’

“Definitely not.” 

Link pouted and slouched. 

“I have a great idea.” Nora said.

‘Yeah?’

“High. _Heels._ ”

‘No thank you!’

“Wedge flats.”

‘Okay.’ 

Nora sped across the aisles, knocking a few boxes down. She grinned once she found a particular black shoebox. She pulled it out and raced back to Link. He opened it. She raised the box above her head.

Link smiled, as if he found treasure. 

Nora lowered the box. Inside were a pair of light brown leather flats. The wedge was a darker shade of brown. 

“Let’s go!” 

Link nodded. The two walked back to JNPR. 

“We got the treasure, we got the treasure!” Nora sang. Ren clapped along. 

The students paid for the items, including some things for themselves. 

They exited the store, heading back to Beacon Academy.

* * *

Ruby sat at a brown table. She stretched out her arms as she put her head down. The girl sighed forlornly. She watched as her team carried out the preparations for the dance; Yang set up crazy decorations while Weiss gave directions. 

Weiss approached her. She held a white table cloth in each hand. The designs were intricate yet very similar. A question was on the older girl’s tongue, most likely about the table cloths. 

Weiss sat down with her, instead.

“You’re worried about Blake and Link, aren’t you?” Weiss questioned softly.

Ruby snapped out of her worried stupor.

“Huh? How did-”

“You’re easy to read. One, you aren’t focusing on the dance preparations. Two, you are unusually quiet. Three, you kept mumbling their names for the past five minutes.” 

Ruby looked away from Weiss and sighed again.

“Yeah. I just don’t know what to do. I want to talk to them but they seem so unreachable. Blake’s all, you know, Blake. Link is,” she paused, thinking. Her head slumped more into the table, “kinda hard to talk to.”

“Don’t be intimidated by them. Blake and Link are your friends, Ruby.”

“Right! Thank you, Weiss!” Ruby replied.

Just before Ruby could get up, Yang pulled on her cloak. Ruby fell back onto the wooden chair. 

“I can handle Blake, you can talk to Link. You got this, sis!” 

Ruby smiled, high fiving her sister.

The sound of the doors opening interrupted them.

Neptune and Sun walked in.

“Long time no see!” Sun greeted them.

Weiss’ eye twitched in irritation, “It hasn’t even been a week.”

“Exactly!” Neptune chirped.

“Anyway, what are you fine ladies wearing to the dance?” Sun questioned with a carefree grin.

“I’m not picking a dress until Blake _actually_ wants to go to the dance!” Ruby declared.

“I thought you guys already sorted out Blake’s Blakey-ness?” Sun asked in confusion.

“She somehow gained more Blakey-ness after the second Roman situation.” Yang noted.

“Blake is going crazy over Roman, _again._ She won’t be in the right state of mind during the dance.” Weiss added.

Ruby sighed, “I don’t think talking to her would help, either.”

“Like I said, Ruby. Blake _will_ attend the dance tonight.” Yang countered. 

“That vaguely sounds like a threat.” Neptune said. 

Yang shrugged and walked out. Ruby exited the room a second later.

* * *

Blake sat in the library, tiredly working at a holographic computer display. She slowly closed her eyes. Yang plopped down besides her.

“Hello!” Yang sang.

“Wha-” 

Yang grabbed her by the arm.

“We have to talk.” 

Yang got up from her seat and whisked Blake out of the room. The black and yellow duo walked through the halls, until they found a door. Yang opened it.

The classroom was empty. Yang walked in, taking a seat on the wooden desk. Orange light poured through the window. It shone across Yang’s calm expression.

“I already know what you’re going to say, so don’t bother.” Blake said.

Yang crossed her legs.

“I’m not telling you to stop, all I’m saying is - slow down, Blake.”

Blake paced around the room, crossing her arms. She sent a tired but angry glare at Yang. 

“I _can’t_ slow down as long as Roman’s still committing crimes!” 

“Blake! You’re going to run yourself into the ground with this obsession!”

“It’s not an obsession!”

“You’re losing sleeping, again! You’ve been stopping by the library ever since we got back! You started to skip class just to hunt down Roman! Tell me, Blake, doesn’t it sound like you’re obsessed?!” 

“This is something I have to do, it’s not an obsession! He _murdered_ a Faunus!”

“We’ll get him. But right now? Sit down and listen to me.” 

Yang pat part of the desk, signaling Blake over. The black haired girl sat next to her. Her legs draped over the desk.

“Fine.”

“I told you about my mom, right?”

Blake looked down and quietly responded.

“Yeah. She left you and your family.”

Yang hummed, “Well, there’s _more._ Before my mom, there was Summer Rose. Ruby’s mom. She was the _greatest._ Stay at home mom by day, awesome Huntress by night. She really, _really_ loved my dad, me and Ruby. She always looked out for us, cared for us, all that stuff. One day, she went on a mission and-” Yang exhaled and looked away.

“Never came back. Even though Ruby was super young, she was really torn. ‘Cause, it _was_ her mom, y’know. Dad, though? He just,” Yang sighed, “he was never the same. I’d catch him, when he stopped laughing and smiling. He shut down and locked his heart. It was tough, seeing that.” 

Blake let out a long sigh, “How did _you_ feel?”

“Me? Oh. Just as bad as Ruby, but since I was older, I understood. I never asked dad ‘When is mommy coming home?’ or ‘What’s wrong, daddy?’ I knew she was gone. I cried and cried. I got angry at everything and everyone. Yeah.” Yang seemed detached, as if she was talking about someone else.

“Can I hug you? Is that okay?” Blake asked carefully.

“Hug me when I’m done with this story, okay?” Yang said if she was cracking a joke. 

Blake nodded.

“I found out _why_ dad acted the way he did. Summer wasn’t the first love he lost. She was the second. The first,” she paused, “was my mom.” 

Blake looked shocked. 

“He never told me everything, but I learned that he and Summer were on a team with my uncle and mom. My mom left right after I was born. So, it was up to my dad to take of me.”

“Well, Uncle Qrow helped, too.” Yang joked.

Blake stifled a laugh.

“Why did she-”

“Leave? That simple question,” Yang mused, “haunted me so much, back then.” 

Yang got up, turning to the chalkboard. She walked over to it. The girl picked up a piece of chalk.

“I was so determined to get an answer. To get _anything._ It was all I thought about, day in, day out. I asked anyone who knew about her.”

The blonde began to draw on the chalkboard. She narrated as she sketched.

On the board, was a drawing of a younger Yang. The girl staring back at the older Yang had small brunette pigtails, held by orange bows. The younger version of Yang found a smashed picture frame. The photo was of her dad, uncle, mom and Summer.

“I found something. I thought it could’ve been a clue to finding my mom.”

Yang circled the smashed picture frame. 

The blonde erased the board, and drawn something else.

A younger Yang walked through a long, winding path in a forest. The little girl pulled a small red wagon. Inside, was her little sister in a crimson hood. Ruby was fast asleep.

“I waited for Dad to leave, put Ruby in a wagon, and headed out. I probably walked for _hours._ I didn’t care. I didn’t care that I was exhausted, or that I had cuts and bruises. I was going to find my mom. When my legs were about to give out, Grimm decided to show up.”

Yang drew a run down cottage surrounded by Grimm. The younger Yang looked _petrified._

The blonde let out an empty chuckle, “There we were. A sleeping toddler and a _stupid_ girl too tired to even scream for help,” she scoffed, “I was so lucky that our uncle swooped in and saved us.”

In the midst of talking, Yang finished drawing a clockwork eye.

Yang exhaled, “I could’ve gotten us killed. Because of my stubbornness.” 

It was quiet. Blake hugged the other girl.

The Faunus broke the silence.

“I’m _so_ sorry that happened to you, Yang. I get what you’re trying to say, too, but it’s different. I’m not a child searching for answers-”

Blake let go.

Yang still faced the board. She clenched her fist.

“I’m _not_ telling you to stop! I never will. To this day, I _still_ want to know why my mom left but I’ll never let it control me, again. We’ll find the answers we’re looking for, Blake, but if we break down because of it, what good are we?”

“Yang, you _don’t_ understand! I have to do this on my own!”

Yang swiftly turned around. Amber eyes met blood red.

“What the _hell_ is team RWBY for, then?”

Yang tightly held onto Blake’s shoulders, “Why the hell do you expect us to just leave you _alone?_ We _care_ about you. We’re a _team._ We’ll fight each other's battles because we’re friends!”

“I-”

“So _please,_ get some rest. Slow down, breathe, relax, _anything_ but focusing on Roman. For you, for the people you care about.”

Yang pulled Blake towards her. She hugged her back. Her eyes went back to normal.

Yang stepped away and let go. She walked past a startled Blake. The black haired girl turned to Yang when she spoke.

“And if you feel like coming tonight, I’ll save you a dance!” 

Yang left the classroom, winking, leaving Blake to think.

* * *

Ruby anxiously twiddled her thumbs as she walked towards Link’s dorm room. She was lost in her thoughts. Doubt, worry and fear swarmed her head.

When she reached his door, she took a deep breath.

“Here goes nothing.” Ruby said to herself.

She opened the door.

“Link?!” Ruby sputtered in shock.

The boy in question slowly walked around the room. The way he walked was feminine. It was like Weiss. 

Link stopped and looked at her. He waved at the girl. 

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked in between laughs.

‘Nora said I have to walk like a princess. You have to turn heads, she said.’ Link drew a tiny Nora in the corner of his paper. 

“A _princess?_ ”

‘Yeah.’

“How long have you been doing this?”

The boy looked at his Scroll. He checked the time.

‘Oh. Three hours.’

“ _Three?_ ”

Link nodded.

Ruby sighed again, “Um, I actually wanted to talk to you, if that’s okay?”

The girl noticed that Link seemed to be anticipating this conversation. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. 

Link completely faced her.

“It’s about what Blake said to you last night. You just stormed off, so I was pretty worried. I’m still a little worried.”

‘I’m okay.’

“But-”

‘You should worry more about Blake. I’m alright.’

“ _No!_ That’s not how friends work!” Ruby shouted. 

Link’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Just be Yang, and he’ll listen.” Ruby muttered.

“I know how _bad_ it is when you lose someone! I know that I _don’t_ want to forget my mom but it’s hard. You feel the same, right?”

The boy closed his eyes. He opened them.

‘I do. Ever since I regained my memories, I was hurt. I lost the people I cared so much about. Sometimes, I wanted to forget, just so I wouldn’t cry every day. But,’ Link sighed.

Ruby silently urged him to continue.

‘I want to remember every single memory of them. The bad ones, the good ones, I want to keep them. They’re all important to me.’

Ruby trembled. She cried.

Link glanced at her. His expression was filled with sorrow.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry, Ruby.’

“No, no, you’re _right._ I loved my mom, a lot. When she disappeared, I was so _angry_ and confused. I couldn’t believe mom would just _leave_. I wanted to forget about her, so bad, but if I did, I wouldn’t follow my dreams. I wouldn’t be a Huntress! I wouldn’t be Ruby Rose.”

“Mom taught me so much. She always told me that I could be the most kindest, cheerful person in the world for my friends. I could be myself. So if I forgot,” she sobbed, “I wouldn’t be the same!”

“I understand, Link, okay?! I really do!”

“ _Please_ don’t close us off. We all want to make you feel better.” 

Link hugged the girl. 

She hugged him back.

‘I’ll try, Ruby. I just never had people to talk to.’

“Well, now you do! We’re here for you, Link.”

‘Thank you.’

* * *

Ruby zoomed out Link’s dorm, racing to find Weiss. She skidded across the hallway. She caught her breath, then walked over to her dorm room. She opened it, to reveal Weiss doing her hair.

“ _Weiss!_ ” Ruby gasped.

“Yes, Ruby?” Weiss called with a jolt.

“Let’s go! Dance! Together.” Ruby gasped for air.

Weiss hid her blush, “Of course, Ruby.”

The team leader cheered, falling onto her bed.

* * *

Sun struggled with his white tie. He wore a closed black jacket and blue jeans. 

“ _Stupid_ tie!” 

“I knew you’d look better in a tie.”

Sun met Blake’s eyes. His mouth slightly hung open.

The girl wore a short, purple, asymmetrical halter neck dress that was split up the right side. It had a black collar. Translucent black mesh covered her shoulders, decollage and back. Decorative black swirls covered the left side of the dress and continued up the left strap. She also wore black pumps and a teal bow.

She wore violet eyeshadow.

“ _Wow._ You look _amazing._ ”

“So do you.” Blake responded. A blush covered her cheeks.

“Does this mean we’re going,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “ _together?_ ”

Blake hummed in confirmation.

“Yang wants to dance with me first, though.”

* * *

Hours passed. The dance began. Teams RWBY and JNPR had yet to arrive. Link wasn’t there, either. However, Ozpin, Ms. Goodwitch, General Ironwood, Professor Oobleck and Port were present. The two professors talked about theories.

Inside the ballroom, streamers hung through a glass chandelier. Pink and blue balloons were all around the room. Students danced to music.

Minutes went by. Yang swung the doors open. 

The blonde wore a short, white halter neck dress with a pale gray hem. She also wore black heels. She stood behind a podium. 

Ruby came inside, next. She wore a short sleeveless dress with a thick black sash around the waist and black trim along the bottom. The bodice of the dress was split vertically to the sash, it also had black lacing. The yoke of the dress was translucent mesh with an opaque collar and hem. It also had opaque lines connecting the collar to her shoulders. She also wore black stockings and heels. 

The girl stumbled. Weiss held her hand to steady her. 

Weiss wore a similar dress to Yang, it was sleeveless with cutouts on both sides of her waist.

Ruby groaned in distress.

Yang watched the two in awe.

“You look _beautiful,_ Ruby!” Yang cooed.

Ruby blushed, then ignored her.

“ _How_ do you even fight in these, Weiss?” Ruby whined. 

“I learned.” Weiss responded.

Blake and Sun came in. The rest of team RWBY crowded around them. They cheered for her. Yang grabbed her by the hand and danced. The two started laughing. Yang twirled her around. 

“May I have this dance, Ruby?” Weiss asked.

“I’m bad at dancing!” Ruby squeaked.

Weiss smiled, “I can teach you.”

“I’ll hold you to that!”

Weiss laughed softly, leading Ruby by the hand. Ruby tripped over her own feet. She stepped on Weiss a few times. The white haired girl didn’t seem to mind.

Team JNPR filed in thirty minutes later. The boys wore a black suit and a bow tie. Ren’s suit was outlined in pink, as well as his bow tie. Jaune’s suit was outlined in red. His bow tie was also red.

Nora wore a pink strapless dress with a white skirt. The seam that joined the dress and skirt, gave the top part a resemblance to a heart. 

Pyrrha wore a long red dress with black high heels. 

Team JNPR waved to the other team.

“Woah! Team RWBY’s looking _great!_ ” Nora yelled as she jumped.

“You guys look good, too.” Blake said. 

They conversed as they danced together.

“Where’s Link?” Ruby asked.

“Perhaps he isn’t coming?” Pyrrha suggested.

“I wouldn’t blame him.” Jaune lamented.

“If he doesn’t show, I’ll add more to his sentence!” Nora said as she cackled.

“Sentence?” Ruby echoed.

“Ye-” Nora began.

_Everyone_ stopped as the doors swung open.

There Link was. Instead of his usual ponytail, were braids. His sideburns were braided and tied behind his head. His ponytail was high, rather than low. It was slightly curled. His messy hair was much neater, as well.

On his head was a small tiara. He proudly wore blue lipstick, eyeliner and eyeshadow. 

The short, lacy green dress fit his body well. 

He strolled towards the group, swaying his hips just a bit.

Jaune flinched, then hid his face. His ears were bright red.

Link heard murmurs around the ballroom.

“Who is that?”

“She’s _so_ pretty!”

“You think I could dance with _her?_ ”

“Nah, man.”

He bowed to his friends.

Team JNPR and RWBY didn’t move.

Link grinned.

_Well, Nora was right. I’m a showstopper, tonight._

Yang walked up to him. This time, Link froze.

_White._

_Zelda._

He thought he saw green eyes staring back at him. Terrified emerald eyes.

_No, it’s Yang. Yang. YANG! Not Zelda. Can’t be Zelda._

Lilac eyes stared at him. 

“You alright, Link?” Ze-

_Yang_ asked.

He tried to smile. He nodded.

_She really does look like Zelda, now._

He frowned.

The sight of Mercury and Emerald distracted him. Mercury wore a cool smirk on his face. Emerald reluctantly walked over to team RWBY. 

Mercury wore a suit lined in gold, while Emerald wore a simple black and green dress.

“Hey.” Emerald said.

“There you guys are!” Ruby greeted.

The two nodded.

“I hope you guys have fun!” Yang shouted.

“Oh, we will.” Mercury said as he gave Emerald a knowing look.

Link’s eyebrows quirked upwards at that.

They went over to the large glass bowl of fruit punch.

Two more people arrived. Penny and Neptune. 

Ruby noticed Penny and sped walked towards her. A hushed conversation began between them. Penny left the ballroom, with Ruby behind her.

While everyone was having fun, Mercury spiked the punch. He walked away from the table. 

The boy hid a grin when students lined up near the bowl.

The music slowed and so did the students. 

Emerald and Mercury slow danced. They watched over the sea of students. The silver haired boy tapped a device in his ear. 

“Most people have a dance partner. The loners drank the punch. Except Link.”

“What do you mean ‘except Link?” Cinder’s voice rang through the earbud.

“He’s sitting around, now.”

“Doing?” Cinder hissed.

“Watching us, actually.”

“Distract him!”

“Uh, one more thing.” Mercury added.

“ _What?_ ” 

“Ruby Rose and Penny Polendia have left the ballroom. They might catch you.”

“Mercury?” Cinder called in a sweet tone.

Mercury didn’t answer.

“If I return at midnight without this information, expect to be punished.”

“I did _nothing_ wrong!”

“You let that little girl and her friend _escape._ ”

“Cinder, just do your thing and _leave!_ ”

* * *

Ruby and Penny walked through the empty hallway.

“So that’s your secret.” Ruby quietly said.

“Yes. I’m not a real girl.”

“Nah, I think you are. You have an Aura, right?”

“Yes, but-”

“Then you’re real! Just like me, Penny.”

“You are taking this quite well, Ruby.”

“Well, this is the _least_ craziest thing I heard and saw today.”

Penny looked away, “So I’m not strange to you? I don’t scare you?”

“Not at al- what was _that?!_ ”

Ruby saw a figure dressed in black running along the rooftops. She quickly alerted Penny.

“Should we go after her?” Ruby asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t go with you! If I cause another scene, I won’t be allowed to visit Vale.”

“It’s alright, Penny!” Ruby yelled as she gave chase to the figure. 

Penny waved as she went back to the dance.

* * *

Cinder stood in front of the Cross Continental Transmit System Tower. 

The woman wore a black leather catsuit with a masquerade mask. 

She stealthily approached an armed guard. The woman knocked him out, hitting the back of his head. She dragged him into a bush. Cinder entered the building.

A soldier blocked the way.

“Ma’am, no one is allowed in this area.”

Cinder ignored the soldier and walked forward. 

“ _Stop!_ ” 

The soldier opened fire. Cinder overpowered him and used his gun against another soldier. Two more soldiers rushed her, with batons in their hands. Cinder created a pair of black blades from fire Dust. She knocked them out.

The woman waited for an elevator. Cinder overheard a conversation between two guards as the elevator went down. They mentioned the school password. The woman smirked. 

The doors opened. She went inside. The doors closed, then reopened when Cinder reached her destination. It revealed the two guards on the ground.

Outside of the CCTST, was Ruby. She noticed the unconscious guard and pulled out her Scroll. She dialed for her weapon locker. A gray locker crashed a foot away from Ruby. It opened. Crescent Rose was inside.

Back inside, Cinder made her way to a holographic bookshelf. She grabbed a Scroll that laid on the floor and entered the school’s password. 

The bookshelf moved. 

Cinder’s malicious smile grew.

“This is _wonderful._ ” 

Inside the secret room was- 

Cinder cursed under her breath. She heard a familiar, annoying high pitched voice.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Ruby called out.

The girl stumbled. In her hands, was her scythe. She was several feet away from Cinder. 

Before the woman came out of her hiding place, she tapped the Scroll onto a control panel, somewhere in the room. The Scroll caused the main computer display, outside, to change. It also transferred something onto the small device.

“Um, this isn’t a masquerade party, so can you-”

Without responding, Cinder produced a container of ice Dust. She threw it at the girl. The battle begun, but was intercepted by the abrupt appearance of Ironwood. He stood in a nearby elevator.

Cinder pinched the bridge of her nose, and muttered, “Mercury is definitely getting a _present_ tonight.” 

Ruby sighed in relief and visibly brightened at the man. 

She then realized that Cinder was nowhere to be found. 

The woman, discarded two bracelets and her mask, in an abandoned hallway. She changed into a black dress and entered the ballroom. More than half of the students were woozy or asleep.

Emerald smiled at her, as Mercury stared at anything but her. 

“How did it go, Cinder?” Emerald asked in interest.

“I found a little secret about the _fairest_ of them all,” Cinder glanced at Link, “I’ll just need to contact the _Queen_ about it.”

Emerald clapped. 

Cinder set her eyes on Mercury. 

“I doubt you’d mind to have _more_ burn scars, Mercury.” Cinder threatened.

“I _mind,_ a lot.”

“Well, don’t worry about that now. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the night.” Cinder declared, changing the topic.

Ruby, Ironwood and five soldiers stormed through the ballroom. 

In the CCTST, an image of a black Queen chess piece appeared on a large computer screen. The chess piece stood tall, on top of a green and gold chessboard.


	30. Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the finale of volume 2.

Cinder smirked down at a trembling Mercury. The boy roughly gripped his arms to keep himself from shaking. He took in several uneven breaths, choking on his own angry tears. His pale hands seemed to be badly burned. His right elbow was mildly burned, as well. He blatantly refused to look up. Whether it was in defiance or fear, Cinder didn’t know. She relished in the thought that Mercury was afraid of her.

Fear helped, she reasoned in her head. Terror made others obey. It made sure no one would leave. It was loyalty. 

“This wouldn’t have happened if you properly followed orders.” Cinder said in a calm but disappointed tone. It _almost_ sounded like a parent scolding a child. A very horrible parent.

Mercury didn’t respond.

“Shouldn’t you at _least_ give me an apology?”

Hiccups.

Cinder crouched and tilted the boy’s head up. His pupils were blown wide with dread. 

Mercury flinched. He attempted to back away to no avail. Cinder removed her hands from his chin.

“Instead of begging for forgiveness from your _father,_ you should do better, understand?”

A nod. 

Cinder got up and turned away from the boy.

“Emerald, I’ll be back shortly. Do _not_ bother with a failure like Mercury. I don’t want to punish you, as well.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Emerald robotically replied, glancing at Mercury.

With that, Cinder exited their dorm room. 

Emerald sighed, and slowly walked towards Mercury. He seemed like a cornered animal. Frenzied. She sat a foot away from him.

“Hey Merc,” she started. The boy made a small, pitiful noise in response, “how do you feel about the color yellow?”

The boy blinked. He stopped hiccuping.

“It’s nice.” Mercury replied. His voice was hoarse from screaming and shouting.

“How come?” Emerald questioned.

“Yang.” 

He was no longer shaking as much. 

Emerald smiled softly, “How do you feel about Yang?”

“Yang is,” he paused, “a better fire than-” 

He grimaced.

“You don’t have to say their names.” Emerald suggested.

Mercury shook his head, “Yang is like a fire. Warm and dangerous. But she isn’t Cinder. She’s not like my _dad._ ” 

Emerald hummed.

Moments passed. 

“Can I help you with the burns?”

“You’ll get in trouble.”

Emerald shrugged, moving closer to treat his wounds. 

In the meantime, Cinder walked around the halls, searching for a private area. The woman eventually found a bathroom. She opened the door. Cinder grinned.

It was empty. The walls were beige, while the tile floors were black and white. The stalls were black with white dashes.

The woman opened one of the stall doors and entered. She sat on the closed toilet seat. Cinder took out her Scroll. She tapped an icon, depicting a black chess piece. 

“Hello, Queen.” 

A voice was heard. It was indistinguishable. 

“Yes, I have received information on the boy. They are fairy tales, though.”

“These old story books sang the praises of a legendary hero, and cursed an abomination.”

“What do you mean they’re _wrong?_ ”

“Okay. So what should we do? Kill him?”

“How would killing him be a waste of time?”

“Understood. Our new plan is to-” 

Cinder hissed as she heard children outside. Their footsteps and voices were loud. 

“I have to go. Goodbye, Queen.”

Cinder hung up and left the bathroom. 

She quite literally bumped into Link. He crashed onto the floor. His crutches laid beside him. 

“My bad.” Cinder said with a snide smile. She didn’t sound apologetic. 

He glared. Even as Cinder outstretched her hand to help, he sent her a nasty look. 

With a lot of difficulty, he stood up by himself. He grabbed his crutches.

‘Stay away from me.’

The boy walked past her.

* * *

Link hobbled to his dorm room. His glare melted away. 

_Who is the Queen? What does she want with me?_

His fists clenched around his crutches.

_She doesn’t want me dead. But she’s plotting something, which is bad._

_What do I do? What can I do?_

A loud chirp disrupted his thoughts. 

_Button is still upset._

He sighed. 

_Team RWBY are on a mission right now, so I can’t talk to them. Jaune and Pyrrha are busy training. Nora and Ren are on a date, apparently._

He obviously couldn’t speak to a bird, so he was stumped.

A flash of dark blue feathers appeared in his head. 

_That’s right! Revali!_

‘ _It has been weeks, Link. Why have you called me, now?_ ’ Revali asked in an annoyed tone. There was a hint of relief in his voice.

 _Um, it’s about Button. Can you please talk to him?_

‘ _And why haven’t you thought of this earlier?_ ’

_I was caught up with Cinder trying to kill me, a murder and a dance._

‘ _A dance, Link?_ ’

_That’s what you focus on?!_

‘ _It’s ridiculous. You? Attending a dance?_ ’

_It’s not funny! Stop laughing!_

Revali laughed harder.

He calmed down a few seconds later. 

‘ _I’ll talk to Button._ ’ 

_Thank you, so much._

For the first time in weeks, Link gave Revali control over his body. 

“ _Little one, what is bothering you?_ ” 

Admittedly, Revali was bad with kids. He wasn’t good with comforting a crying child. He usually gave them space or ignored them. It was too overwhelming for him. 

But this was Button, so he had to try. 

The little bird sneezed. He let out irritated squawks, which quieted down after a minute.

“ _Yes, Link is a fool._ ”

_Hey!_

“ _You’re frustrated that you can’t do a thing to help him, you said?_ ”

_Oh._

“ _Excuse me? You wish to be like Blake?_ ”

_What?_

“ _I don’t believe that’s-_ ”

“ _A magic man._ ” Revali said in a flat tone.

‘ _It seems as though we’ve found an answer. Button feels helpless. He wants to be a hero for you, but he is just a bird. He mentioned something odd. He called Ozpin a ‘magic man._ ’ 

_He wants to protect me?_

‘ _From the ‘scary dreams’ you have._ ’

_I don’t know. Even if Ozpin has magic, what will happen to Button? Wouldn’t he get hurt because of me? If he becomes a Faunus, I’m-_

‘ _Why don’t we speak to Ozpin?_ ’ 

_I’ll talk to him. Release._

The boy stared at Button. _That’s why he was so upset. He wanted to help me._

Link strolled towards the little bird. He smiled at him. The bird carefully flew onto his right shoulder. 

He didn’t want to talk to Ozpin. He really didn’t. 

_I want to make Button happy._

Link reluctantly made his way to Ozpin’s office. The gray elevator doors opened. Link stepped out, and confidently walked towards the man. Determination shone in his blue eyes.

Button flew down to Ozpin’s desk. The professor was in the middle of sipping hot chocolate. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Dorephan.”

Link ignored his greeting. 

‘I have a request.’

“What is that request?”

‘Turn Button into a Faunus.’

Ozpin placed his mug on his desk. He leaned forward. A deathly serious expression was etched on his face. His eyebrows furrowed. His brown eyes narrowed. The way he stared at Link unnerved him.

The man clasped his hands together, bringing them near his lips.

“Even if I have the power to do that, you must understand how dangerous this could be. If Button were to become a human or a Faunus, it will spell _death_ for him, once his secret is out. He can attract the wrong kind of attention from others, as well. Are you prepared for that, Link? Are you willing to risk your life and Button’s so easily?” 

Link faltered. He didn’t want Button to be hurt. He didn’t want to lose him. 

He didn’t want to keep more secrets from RWBY and JNPR, either. 

Revali’s words swarmed his head. 

‘I’m ready to accept this responsibility.’

“Now, are you doing this out of selfishness? Do you truly believe this is worth it?”

‘No, I want Button to be happy. Yes, I do.’

“Very simple words.” Ozpin mused. 

Ozpin leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. He reopened them.

“I’ll grant your wish.”

He moved his left hand onto his desk. His right hand rested an inch above Button’s head. Four orbs swirled around his hand. A dark purple sphere with a black core, a fiery orange ball, a perfectly round yellow ball of light and a green orb that resembled a tornado. Below the orbs was a thin halo with the same colors. Lightning trailed around it.

Button, for a moment seemed scared. He began to flap his wings, trying to escape. He settled down, looking at the orbs in awe.

Link scrutinized them. From his knowledge, magic wasn’t a normal thing in Remnant. Semblances were close to it, but during History class, it was said that these abilities weren’t related to magic. 

_Who is this man? How did he have magic?_

He lowered his hand. The orbs turned green. The moment the green orbs touched Button, they spun around his body. The bird glowed light green. 

Button’s form changed, morphing into a humanoid shape. 

The light dissipated. 

Link stopped. He gasped, staring the the bird. No, _Faunus._

The little boy looked no less than eight. Curly forest green hair framed his tan face. Under the light from the window, his hair was light green. His eyes were cyan. They sparkled like a bright sea. On his back, were small light green wings. Link noticed that the end of Button’s left eyebrow was crooked. It was mostly hidden by his hair. 

The boy wore an oversized cream sweater with blue stripes. He wore dark blue jean shorts that ended below his knees. Button wore black socks with musical notes. The patterns were orange, green and purple. His combat boots were light brown with dark brown soles. The shoelaces were pink.

Button struggled to stay on the desk. He fell. Link instantly caught him. 

The boy’s cyan eyes widened. A grin was on his face. Button reached out and grasped Link’s hair. He fumbled, moving his mouth. He couldn’t form any words.

He pouted and took a deep breath.

“M’” 

Link smiled, running his fingers through Button’s hair.

“Ma,” the boy grunted in agitation, “Mama!”

His voice was high pitched and _adorable._

The boy looked satisfied. He repeated the word over and over. 

Link chuckled. His shoulders shook. He cried. He was happy. So _happy._

_I need to protect that smile._

Button looked concerned. The boy bit his lip.

“Mama?” 

Link hugged the boy. He resisted the urge to spin Button around. 

_I love you, Button._

For a second, he forgot Ozpin was there. The man cleared his throat. He watched the two with a soft smile. 

“It appears that I’ve made the right choice.” Ozpin said.

Link nodded. He briefly let go of Button.

‘Thanks.’

He stared back at Button.

_I think I should tell RWBY and JNPR about this._

‘Ozpin.’

“Yes?”

‘Can I tell RWBY and JNPR about Button?’ 

The calm expression on Ozpin’s face shattered. A hint of _something_ flashed in his eyes. It wasn’t good. Link felt anxious.

“Did you forget what I just told you, Link?”

Link took a step back. Button tensed up. His feathers fluffed up and shook. The boy stumbled as he tried to walk. He almost tripped. 

He shakily stood in front of Link, guarding him. He frowned at Ozpin. His eyebrows furrowed. 

“N-no!” Button shouted.

Ozpin glanced at Button. The boy clenched his fists. Button met Ozpin’s unflinching gaze head on. His eyes clearly conveyed, “Leave him alone.”

Ozpin sighed, “Very well. I trust that no one else will find out.”

‘If someone does, I’ll face the consequences.’

Ozpin simply took a sip from his mug. He nodded to Link.

Button ignored Ozpin and focused on Link. He curiously looked at the older boy. Link smiled. The younger boy gave him an owlish look before grinning. He reached out, holding Link’s hand. The small boy blinked. He poked the palm of Link’s hand and toyed with his fingers.

Button seemed intrigued and confused.

_This is so cute. Revali, please help me!_

‘ _Hello, Link. What is the problem, this time?_ ’

_Button is so cute, help!_

‘ _That doesn’t seem like an issue._ ’

_I don’t care!_

Revali scoffed in Link’s head. The Rito decided to take this into his own hands.

He crouched down to Button’s height.

“Papa!”

Revali immediately turned scarlet. 

“ _Hello, Button._ ”

Button was distracted, looking at Revali’s hair and transparent wings. The boy ruffled Revali’s midnight blue hair. The Faunus continued to play with his hair. Revali chuckled.

“ _How do you feel, little one?_ ”

Button blinked twice and tilted his head. He let go of Revali’s hair.

“Happy!”

“ _I’m glad._ ”

Button made a sound. He wanted to say something, but couldn’t. He stomped his foot and pouted. 

“ _What’s wrong?_ ”

“Mama n-needs,” the boy’s face scrunched up in confusion, “a hero! Yeah. I wanna be one.”

“ _You want to be a hero, Button?_ ”

“For mama. For e-everyone, too!”

Revali’s smirk changed into an adoring, fond smile.

“ _Jaune and Pyrrha can arrange that._ ”

“W-what about mama?” Button asked slowly.

“ _He is still hurt._ ”

“Mommy fix him?”

“ _Who is mommy?_ ”

“Miiiiiiiipha.”

“ _I see. I don’t think that mommy,_ ” Revali paused, “ _will fix Link._ ”

Button sniffled. He started crying. Revali was overwhelmed. He tried to shush the boy.

“Why?” 

“ _Link promised Mipha something._ ”

The boy crossed his arms, completely unimpressed.

“Mama’s dumb.”

Revali sputtered and laughed.

“Fine! I’ll just be mama’s hero until he’s fixed!”

Button seemed thoughtful, “No! All the time.” 

“ _Would you like to start training today or-_ ”

Button let out an excited squeal, “Now!”

The boy looked so eager.

“ _Unfortunately, you must turn back into a bird._ ”

“No!”

“ _Button._ ” Revali chided.

Button seemed to weigh his options. He gave in.

“Okay, papa.”

Button closed his eyes, thinking. 

A puff of green smoke replaced the boy standing in front of Revali. When the smoke cleared, a little green bird stood on the floor. Button seemed a little upset. He chirped, then flew on Revali’s head.

_Why is he so cute? Revali, please, my heart is about to burst._

‘ _This is the happiest I’ve seen you and it scares me._ ’

_How come?_

‘ _It is just rare to see you like this, I suppose._ ’

_Oh._

‘ _Nonetheless, it is a good thing._ ’

 _Yeah. Well, let’s go meet up with Pyrrha and Jaune._

‘ _Don’t you mean, you should go?_ ’

_Revali!_

‘ _Goodbye, Link._ ’

_Hey!_

Link huffed and rolled his eyes. 

Ozpin said goodbye, and Link nodded to him. He left his office. 

Once Link got back to his dorm room, Button transformed into a Faunus. As the hours passed, Button slowly got used to walking and talking. Every now and then, he’d fly when his legs got tired. 

Link taught him some words in his language. Button seemed to enjoy it. The first words he signed were ‘I love you’ and ‘mama.’

As Link continued his lesson, his Scroll buzzed. 

**I Burn!, [REDACTED] Roman, dogs on a train, Weiss Schnee have entered the chat.**

**I Burn!:** we just got back and  
**I Burn!:** wtf was that mission????  
**I Burn!:** tht ice cream [REDACTED] came back.  
**I Burn!:** i nearly died. a g a i n. someone saved me, i think.  
**[REDACTED] Roman:** The only good thing about this mission was that Roman got arrested.  
**Weiss Schnee:** While we were strong, I believe that this mission was quite overwhelming.  
**Weiss Schnee:** It was a good learning experience.  
**dogs on a train:** You sure, Weiss? You kinda got knocked out. ;-:  
**dogs on a train:** And yeah!! Roman Mcbadpants went to jail!!!  
**Weiss Schnee:** I’m alright, Ruby. Thank you for asking.  
**dogs on a train:** yaaaaaay! :D

 **Lonk Dorefindus has entered the chat.**

**Lonk Dorefindus has changed their name to Button.**

**Button:** Good afternoon, everyone.  
**dogs on a train:** Link!!!!!!!! Hi!!  
**Button:** Hi.  
**I Burn!:** its my guy sister-beater! wassup?  
**Button:** If you all don’t mind, can you come to my dorm room?  
**Button:** @Fall, @RenRenRen, @Link’s copy, @Thunderbolt!  
**Button:** I need to tell you something.  
**I Burn!:** ominous, but k.  
**dogs on a train:** Team RWBY! To Link’s dorm!! Banzai!  
**I Burn!:** banzai!!!!!!!!!!  
**[REDACTED] Roman:** Banzai!  
**Weiss Schnee:** Banzai. 

Link put his Scroll down. Button turned back into a bird.

A knock. Two knocks. Four knocks. Link took a while to reach his door. He opened it.

The eight students filed in. 

“What’s up, Link?” Yang asked.

He smiled. Button flew down to the floor. He transformed with a puff of smoke. The boy smiled brightly at them. Everyone was shocked, to say the least. Ruby and Nora were excited. Ren and Blake were neutral.

“How is this possible, Link?” Weiss incredulously asked. She seemed suspicious. 

Link shrugged.

Yang walked over to Button. The boy jumped out of his skin. His left wing twitched. He wailed.

“Don’t worry, kid, we’re cool!”

Button hid behind Link.

Weiss whispered to her, “Remember when you broke his wing?”

Yang winced, “Alright, Button! I owe you an apology. I’m really sorry about that.”

“O-okay, Ying.”

“ _Ying?_ ” Yang echoed.

“I’m s-sorry!” Button cried.

“Nah, I like Ying.”

“Yay!”

Ruby gushed at the boy, “Oh, Button, you’re so cute!”

“T’anks, Ru-Ru!” Button replied with a blush on his face.

Ruby fake cried into Weiss’ shoulder.

Button stumbled, slowly walking towards Ruby. He tugged on her sleeve.

“You okay?”

Ruby grinned at him, “Yep!”

“Button.” Pyrrha called in a gentle voice.

“Yes?”

“Do you have nicknames for everyone else?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Tell us! Tell us!” Nora shouted with glee.

“Um,” he pointed to Weiss with a smile, “Wiss!”

Weiss smiled softly, “I love it, Button.”

Button cheered as he pointed to Blake, “Blaaaa, uh, Bow! Yeah.”

Blake chuckled.

He pointed to Jaune next, “Mama two!”

“Really?” Jaune asked with a laugh.

Button nodded. He pointed to Nora.

“No-No!”

Nora ran up to the boy and spun him around. Button giggled.

“That’s a great nickname!” Nora said.

The orange haired girl put him down. He was dizzy.

He rapidly shook his head. He pointed to Pyrrha.

“Pie!”

Lastly he pointed to Ren, “Ren-Ren!” 

They all seemed pleased with their new nicknames. The eight students fawned over the boy, laughing and playing with him. 

“Oh! Pie, mama two, I need help!”

“Yeah, Button?” Jaune asked.

“I wanna f-fight?” 

“But you look so young.” Pyrrha noted with worry.

He pouted, “No, I’m not!”

“Well, _why_ do you want to fight?” Weiss critically asked.

“I wanna help mama.”

“Can’t argue with that, Weiss!” Ruby said.

Jaune and Pyrrha glanced at each other. 

“Come on, guys!” Jaune said. The boy led the way to their usual training spot.

Button seemed just as hyperactive as Nora. He jumped and ran around, squealing with joy.

“Button!” Weiss yelled, catching the boy’s attention. He stopped and listened to her.

“First, we must enter a fighting stance.” Weiss announced. Everyone except Link followed her instructions. 

Button slightly bent his legs and brought his fists to his face.

“Lower your hands,” Button did as Weiss told, “good.”

Jaune spotted two nearby sticks on the ground. He picked them up and handed one to Button.

Button waved the stick around. 

“Pretend it’s a sword, Button.” Jaune advised. 

Button held the stick with two hands. He wore a fierce expression on his face. It looked more like a pout. Everyone cooed over him. 

The little boy closed his eyes. He reopened them. 

He raised the stick above his head and slashed downwards. 

Link realized that the boy was copying him. Every move he made mirrored the way Link fought, save for the back and front flips. Button improvised by flying a few feet off the ground.

It was a little different from Link’s fighting style. Button was _learning_ from him, while Link fought using his instincts. When he held a sword, there were no years of training or skill behind each swing, it just clicked in his head. It was automatic, as if he’s done this before. 

Which was true. He used a sword before. As a knight. As Zelda’s bodyguard. 

He cleared his thoughts. He watched the boy practise with a proud smile.

The boy continued slashing the stick, even as he began to sweat. He groaned, but other than that, he didn’t stop. The boy pushed himself. 

“Don’t wear yourself out.” Blake said.

Button gasped for air, “I’m okay!”

“Why don’t you take a break, Button?” Pyrrha asked.

“No way!”

“If you rest for a bit, I’ll teach you about Aura.” Pyrrha bargained. 

Button sat on the ground. Pyrrha clapped and smiled.

“I’m sure you’ve heard about it, in passing, right?”

Button nodded. 

“That’s good! In Jaune’s words, Aura is a force field. Every living thing has Aura, including you, Button.” Pyrrha said.

The boy absorbed the information.

“Aura can be unlocked through another person, as well.”

Button brought his hands to his face. He made a cheerful sound. 

Pyrrha placed her hand on Button’s head. 

“Close your eyes, okay?”

Button closed his eyes. As Pyrrha began to speak, her bright red Aura flared. She glowed softly.

“For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.” 

Her words seemed rehearsed.

The boy faintly glowed. A pale green Aura formed around Button. 

“ _Wow._ ” Button whispered. 

Pyrrha let go. Their Auras disappeared. 

The students cheered for the boy.

Button blushed from the praise. He continued to practice with the stick until the sky became a beautiful blend of pink and orange. 

Button’s training was interrupted by an uninvited guest. 

Cinder Fall strolled towards the group. With her, were Mercury and Emerald. Fresh bruises littered Emerald’s bare arms. Her fingers were slightly burned. Mercury’s arms were covered in bandages. 

Mercury waved to them. Emerald held up her hand as a greeting. The two teams waved back. Cinder glared at the two. 

Team RWBY and JNPR were on guard.

“What’s up, Cinder?” Ruby asked, trying to sound casual.

“Oh, nothing, I’m simply curious.”

“Can you be curious somewhere else?” Yang cut in.

She ignored Yang. The woman stared directly at Link. He met her eyes with a glare.

“Wouldn’t it be such a shame if the Queen took your knight?” Cinder taunted.

 _What? What is that supposed to mean?_

Button came to his defense, “Stop!”

The boy stood in between Link and Cinder. 

Cinder scoffed, “You’re just a _child._ What could you possibly do to stop me?”

“I’ll be mama’s hero!”

“Excuse me?” Cinder spat.

“I’ll fight you!”

Cinder didn’t react for a moment. 

She chuckled. It didn’t sound genuine. 

“Button! You can’t!” Ruby shouted.

Button’s head whipped to Ruby’s voice, “ _No._ ”

“This is _dangerous._ ” Ren quietly but firmly argued.

“I wanna help mama!” Button shot back.

Link watched the boy with unease.

Button tugged on his shirt, “Please!”

 _I don’t want him to get hurt because of me._

_I can’t let him do this!_

‘ _My, my, Link._ ’

_Urbosa?_

‘ _Making decisions for someone else, hm?_ ’

_You have to understand, he won’t win this. He’ll get hurt._

‘ _It’s not about winning, it’s about protecting you, voe._ ’

_I know, but-_

‘ _Let him fly, Link._ ’ 

_Alright, I will._

Link, despite his fear, allowed the boy to fight against Cinder. Link nodded to him. Button grinned.

“Link, are you _insane?_ ” Weiss snapped.

The others clamored around him. Even Mercury and Emerald seemed worried, glancing at Button then to Cinder. 

“ _Well,_ you all have nothing to worry about, I’ll go easy on the boy.” Cinder said with a chilling smirk. 

The two faced each other. A sick grin was on Cinder’s face. Button frowned. 

“I’ll be done with you in a second.” Cinder threatened. 

The woman rushed towards the boy. She punched him in the face. He fell and tumbled. 

He got up and wiped the blood off his nose.

“You’re one of _those_ fighters.” Cinder complained.

The woman did a side kick to Button’s stomach. He fell. The woman stomped on him. He coughed. The boy grabbed her foot.

“Cinder, you _bi-_ uh, very mean lady, stop!” Yang growled.

The woman briefly let go, only to kick him again. He grunted in pain. 

He stood up, holding his stomach. 

“Try to attack me, I _dare_ you.” Cinder drawled. 

Button stood still. 

“Are you _afraid,_ boy?”

“I can’t be.” Button said. 

The boy charged. Cinder scoffed, and harshly punched Button in the stomach. He shrieked as he crashed into Ruby. The boy held Ruby’s hand to stop himself from falling. 

He felt _weird_ for a second. 

The boy’s entire body flashed red.

He locked eyes with Cinder, who seemed surprised. 

He sped across the field, reaching Cinder within seconds. A trail of green rose petals followed him. The boy caught Cinder off guard, giving him the chance to attack. He punched her, then backed away.

“Button copied my Semblance? That’s so cool!” Ruby exclaimed. Her mouth hung open. She seemed giddy.

In the midst of Ruby’s excitement, Cinder retaliated. The woman attempted to grab him, but the boy escaped, using Ruby’s Semblance. An angry snarl left her lips. 

The students were in awe.

The boy zipped around, avoiding Cinder’s jabs and hooks. He appeared behind her. Button punched her back. 

The woman sent him a glare that promised something horrible. He blinked.

She grabbed his left leg and slammed him down onto the ground. He sobbed. 

Through his unshed tears, he glanced at Weiss.

“Circle!”

Weiss stared at the boy in confusion.

“Weiss, your glyphs!” Ruby clarified.

The white haired girl created a glyph below Button. It activated, sending him upwards. He flapped his wings. He flicked his leg, trying to shake off Cinder. When Cinder still had a grip on his leg, he thought of an idea. He called for Weiss, once again.

A glyph was placed behind his leg. Two glyphs were placed behind Cinder.

The boy pulled his leg back and swung it forward. Rose petals were left in its wake. The glyph behind his leg activated, adding to the strength.

Cinder was sent careening into the other glyphs. She collided into the ground. _Hard._ The boy zoomed towards her. He held out his hand, offering to help her up. She used this moment to punch him. 

He looked utterly betrayed.

“You _are_ mean!”

“You’ve just realized that, you _brat?_ ”

“No. You’re not nice to Emmy or Mercy, too. That’s no good.”

“Emmy?” Mercury echoed.

“ _Mercy?_ ” Emerald repeated.

Button stared at the two.

“Y-you don’t like them?” Button asked. He sniffled.

“I mean, I like it, but it doesn’t fit me? Mercy isn’t my _thing._ ” Mercury explained.

Button looked ready to cry. 

“Okay, okay! I like the nickname, I like it! Don’t cry, please.” Mercury said.

The boy brightened. Emerald laughed at the silver haired boy. 

Mercury whispered to her, “What do I do with this kid? He’s so _cute._ ”

Cinder grabbed his arm.

The boy gasped. He delivered a lightning fast jab to her hand. Green petals were blown by the short wind that the punch created.

She instantly let go. She smirked at him.

“Don’t think that we aren’t the same, _boy._ ”

“I’m not mean.”

“Oh, no, I don’t mean it like that.”

He looked confused. 

“We are one in the same. You _stole_ that power from that girl, didn’t you?”

“N-no!”

“Then why don’t you _ask_ her if she can use her Semblance?”

Button twitched. Guilt and fear shone in his eyes. He turned to Ruby.

The girl attempted to run, expecting her Semblance to activate.

It didn’t.

No petals. No speed.

Nothing.

“Wh-” Ruby gasped. She crumbled to the floor. 

“Ru-Ru? I’m sorry! I’m _sorry!_ ”

“See? All you will cause with a Semblance like yours, is misery.” Cinder taunted.

Ruby sobbed. 

“Shut _up,_ Cinder!” Yang yelled. 

Button ran over to Ruby. He held her hands. 

Button flickered red. It transferred back to Ruby with a flash of red.

The boy quickly let go of her hands as if he was burnt. He babbled apologies as he cried. 

“It’s okay, Button.” Ruby soothed him.

“You sure?” Button stuttered.

“Yeah! Just ask, next time.”

“Okay!” Button replied.

He walked over to Pyrrha. 

“Um, is it okay if I take it?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all.” Pyrrha said with a reassuring smile.

The boy lightly tapped her. He flashed red.

“Mama two, No-No!” Button called.

“Want us to break some legs?” Nora asked.

“No. I need your stuff.” Button said as he pointed to Jaune’s sheath and Nora’s hammer.

They nodded. Jaune transformed the sheath into a shield. 

Cinder sauntered over to Button. 

The shield and the hammer were outlined in black. Button flicked his arm. The shield _bashed_ Cinder’s face, stopping her. She grunted.

“No more hand to hand combat, I see.” Cinder said. She pulled out two black glass scimitars. 

“You put those back where they came from!” Nora yelled.

“It’s only fair.” Cinder replied. 

Button stood his ground. 

Cinder ran over to the boy, slashing the twin blades. Button moved the shield in front of him. 

The woman briefly knocked the shield away, going in for another attack. Button bopped Cinder on the head with Magnhild. He giggled, then hurled the shield at Cinder’s stomach. She dodged, leaping on top of the shield. She combined the blades, turning it into a bow. It didn’t have a bowstring. She shot three arrows. 

He managed to dodge two of them. One ripped through his sleeve. 

“You want to protect Link, right?” Cinder asked.

He nodded. 

She shot an arrow at Link. It was stopped with a glyph.

“Nice try.” Weiss remarked. Cinder scowled at her.

The woman jumped off the shield. She shot more arrows at Link. Button swiftly moved his arm, bringing the shield in front of Link. While Button was preoccupied with defending Link, Cinder lunged for his arm. She harshly pulled it back. 

The boy screeched in pain. He couldn’t move his arm. He squeaked and grunted.

“Surely you’re done, now?” Cinder asked. 

Button clutched his dislocated arm with his other hand. He bit his lip as he glanced at a fuming Yang. He looked back at Cinder. 

He staggered towards the woman.

“No, I’m _not._ ” 

Cinder’s eyes flashed with annoyance. He met her eyes with a pained grin.

“Wiss, circle!”

Weiss created four glyphs in front of Button, and one behind him. She activated them, sending Button towards them in a flash. The glyph behind him, slowed the boy down. He ran towards Pyrrha. He gave her Semblance back. Jaune’s shield and Nora’s hammer clattered to the ground.

Button turned to Yang. The girl had a wild grin on her face.

“Mess her up, kid!” Yang said gleefully. She gave him a high five.

He flashed yellow. 

Gleaming red eyes met amber. The boy’s hair glowed light green.

Button gave Cinder a small smile. While it was authentic, it was unfriendly. 

The boy pulled his good arm back. His hand was curled into a tight fist.

Yang whispered to Weiss. The white haired girl nodded as four glyphs formed on the ground. 

Button took a step. With the help of Weiss’ glyphs, he barreled towards Cinder. He sent a jab to Cinder’s chest. She dodged. Weiss created a glyph behind Button. It activated, giving another opportunity to attack the woman. His next punch disoriented her. 

Cinder grabbed Button’s good arm. He was flung across the ground. 

He slowly got up.

“Wiss, again!” 

Weiss complied. Her movements seemed a little sluggish. 

Despite her growing fatigue, the girl created a slew of new glyphs. One was placed directly behind Button. One was a foot away from him. The glyph behind him had another placed on top.

The glyph behind him, activated. He practically skated across the ground. He landed a quick hook to Cinder’s jaw. She grunted. It pushed her away. Button spun around, facing Cinder’s back as his body hit the glyph in front of him. He was sent back. 

He harshly kicked her legs. She fell. 

A glyph appeared below him. It sent him into the air. Button rotated his body as he began to fall back down. Just before Button reached the ground, a glyph formed above him.

His fist crashed into Cinder’s back. She hissed in pain. 

Button stood eerily still. He swayed as his Aura flickered. He raised his fist with a wobbly smile plastered on his face. The boy reached out to Link.

“I,” he gasped, “did it.” Button slurred. 

Ruby caught him before he fell. His body flickered yellow, giving back Yang’s Semblance. 

Button passed out. 

_Mipha!_

‘ _Link! Hello._ ’

_Hey Miphs!_

‘ _What’s wrong, Link?_ ’

_Well, you see, Button became a Faunus just to protect me. He got in a fight with Cinder, who has been bothering me. He dislocated his arm._

‘ _Oh, no! I’ll help him right away._ ’

_Thank you, Mipha._

Mipha walked up to Ruby. She gently grabbed the boy’s injured arm. Her hands faintly glowed green.

She healed Button. 

‘ _He reminds me of you._ ’

_He does?_

‘ _Yes. I can tell he is one to never give up on the people he cares about._ ’

_Somehow, I think that’s a good and bad thing._

‘ _I believe that it’s a great trait to have._ ’

 _Only you, Miphs._

His conversation was interrupted by the sight of Cinder getting up. Everyone glared daggers at her. 

The woman ignored them and briskly walked off, with Mercury and Emerald in tow. 

She wore a smile on her face.

* * *

Link found himself laying in his bed. He was filled with dread and pure delight. 

He no longer needed the crutches, or the casts. His arms and legs were finally healed. While he could properly use his limbs, a light stinging pain was present every so often. The pain didn’t interfere with basic tasks, so Link deduced that he could fight again.

He might have been a little too _eager._ He didn’t exactly care.

And today? 

He’ll get his hands on his new weapons. 

He just had to be patient. Ruby and Thomas weren’t done yet. 

“Oh! We’re finishing stuff up!” Ruby said, hours ago.

On the other hand, he was nervous. 

Cinder. The Queen. 

He didn’t know _who_ the Queen was. It was obvious to him, that the Queen was _worse_ than Cinder. 

Stronger than her, most likely.

A bigger threat than her.

The Queen seemed to know who he was. 

The Queen _definitely_ knows who he is.

_The Queen is planning something._

Link sat up. 

Thoughts threatened to swarm his head. Fear lurked around his mind, waiting to strike. 

A chirp rang out in his room.

Link smiled at Button. The bird flew up to his bed. He waddled over to the boy’s right leg. Button chirped again. A low warble followed, along with a click of his tiny beak. 

The bird lightly pecked Link’s leg before moving over to his left. Another round of pecks. 

Button checked Link’s arms before flying onto his shoulder. 

The Hylian felt somewhat relaxed.

Link’s scroll buzzed.

 **Roses:** Link!!!!!!! Come to Thomas’ room right now!!!!!! Your babies are complete!!!!!!!  
**Roses:** hURRY IM SO EXCITED.  
**Wahahaha!:** i got this ruby. aYO SISTER BEATER, WHERE U AT? @Button  
**Wahahaha!:** @Button

**Button has entered the chat.**

**Button:** Thank you, Ruby.  
**Button:** I’ll be right there.  
**Roses:** You’re not excited? ;-;  
**Wahahaha!:** how dare u not be excited.  
**Wahahaha!:** prepare to have a bad time.  
**Wahahaha!:** prepare for another fight with me.  
**Eclipse:** Yang.  
**Wahahaha!:** wht, blake? im not gonna kill him.  
**Eclipse:** Okay.  
**Button:** Sure, I’d love to fight you again.  
**Wahahaha!:** y e s.  
**Weiss Cold:** This is an absolutely horrendous idea. Link, do not fight her. You just recovered.  
**Button:** I did promise to fight her, a while back.  
**Weiss Cold:** Link. What did I just tell you? :)  
**Roses:** Weiss!! You’re scaring me!!  
**Wahahaha!:** thts a big mood. but its also super funny.  
**Weiss Cold:** I’m sorry Ruby! Was I not supposed to use a “smiley”?  
**Roses:** Wellllllll  
**Roses:** you can!  
**Weiss Cold:** Alright. :D  
**Roses:** ……  
**Weiss Cold:** What’s wrong, Ruby?  
**Roses:** I’m okay!!!!

**Button has left the chat.**

He left his room. 

Minutes later, the boy stood in front of Thomas’ classroom door.

He opened it. Ruby looked up to the sound. The girl sat in a desk.

“Link! You’re here!” Ruby greeted. She was teeming with excitement.

He nodded. She pouted.

“Anyway!” Ruby began. She got up and walked over to the wooden closet. She pulled out three white boxes. 

He walked over to her, wanting to help. She shooed him away, carrying the boxes by herself. He trailed after her, instead. Link sat down as Ruby gently placed the boxes on a desk. Button flew down to investigate. He hopped towards the smallest box. 

Link opened the tiny box. Inside was a yo-yo. It was made out of wood. A light green metallic ‘B’ was engraved into both sides of the yo-yo. Instead of string, the yo-yo had a small chain. 

The boy grinned as he stared at Button. The bird was chirping his head off. Ruby chuckled. Link picked up the yo-yo. 

Ruby immediately spoke up.

“This is the surprise! For Button!”

Link nodded. 

‘It’s a nice toy.’

Ruby looked away, “I _might_ have done something with it.”

Link gave her a curious look.

“Press the ‘B.’”

The boy tapped the ‘B.’ It made a clicking sound. Small ragged blades popped out from the disks. He pressed the letter again. The blades quickly rotated. The boy pressed the ‘B.’ 

The blades stopped, then slipped back into the toy. 

_That is so awesome!_

Button seemed to agree. The bird stole the yo-yo and began to drag it on the desk. Ruby cooed.

“Check out the other boxes!” 

He opened one of them. A dark blue shield, and a slim black gauntlet were inside. They looked _beautiful._ The shield looked exactly like what he requested. A few things were added to its original design. The shield was engraved with swirls and petals. The gemstones were flat and nicely cut. Each of them were lined with gold. The rim was dark gray.

The gauntlet had a minimalistic design. It was engraved with a blue Sheikah symbol. It glowed. Wires wrapped around the fingers. The fingers of the gauntlet were made of chainmail and metal. The knuckles were knobbed. A button resided at the end of the gauntlet. 

He picked up the gauntlet and put it on. The gauntlet reached past his wrist.

The boy punched the air. 

_This would be good for Daruk. Ruby must have thought about the Champions, not just me._

He let out a content sigh. Ruby smiled. 

Link took it off and pressed the button. The gauntlet extended. Its width became smaller as it formed a rectangular shape. Two knobs shifted places and morphed into a trigger and handle grip. The fingers curled, then flattened. They went inside the gauntlet. The ends connected, forming the butt of the gun. The wires thickened as they wrapped around. Four thick black wires were created. Two latched onto the end of the crossbow. The other wires suspended itself in a V shape. 

The glowing Sheikah emblem changed places. It was now on the butt of the gun.

“So, all you have to do is put the swords together. The knobs will move to the tip of swords. These wires,” Ruby pointed to the wires, ”will connect to the knobs!”

Link nodded. 

The boy pressed the button on the bottom of the butt. 

It turned back into a gauntlet. Link placed it on the desk.

He opened the last box.

Inside were the two scimitars, scabbards, Dust vials, Dust infused arrows, and regular arrows. It also had a quiver. 

The quiver was dark brown, like wood. It was decorated with dark green brush strokes. It had a brown leather strap.

The sheaths were royal blue. 

The scimitars, like the shield, kept the original design but had minor changes. The turquoise metal was transparent, while the silver steel was solid. The steel was intricately and carefully designed. The cloths wrapped around the hilts were neatly cut, to avoid covering the beige gear. The gemstones were a bit larger, as well. The crossguard was dark blue.

Link smiled. He picked up a sword. He held the scimitar close to his chest. He felt nostalgic.

The boy slashed the sword once, then set it back on the desk. Link took a random Dust vial. It was light blue. Ice. 

He removed the hilt by pulling on the pommel. He glanced at Ruby for help.

“Oh! Put the vial inside the hilt.”

He quickly followed her directions. He then connected the hilt with the blade. Ice formed inside the turquoise metal. It made a crackling sound as ice coated the entire blade. Link rose his eyebrows in surprise. He picked it up again.

The boy softly trailed his finger across the blade. It was cold to the touch.

He glanced at the floor. The boy raised his arm, then slammed the scimitar into the ground. A large sheet of ice covered a third of the floor. Ruby almost slipped.

Link grinned. His cheeks hurt.

Ruby took a step. She yelped. Before she could fall, Link caught her. He chuckled softly as he gave her an apologetic look.

Ruby paid no mind to the apology. She buzzed with energy. The girl leaned against the desk.

“That was so _cool!_ ” Ruby exclaimed. She let out an excited squeal. Link smiled at her. 

The boy pulled out the scimitar. He traced non-existent patterns on a desk with the tip of the blade. Thin ice trailed along the weapon. The ice formed a few circles and triangles. Button jumped into the circle with a chirp. He waddled around and danced.

The little bird seemed to have an idea. Button flew down onto the floor. He skated on the ice. He enjoyed it. Link picked him up. The bird fussed.

The boy gazed at his new arsenal. 

_I want to test these out lat-_

The sound of the door violently swinging open, snapped Link out of his thoughts.

It was Yang. She playfully smirked at him. The blonde entered a fighting stance. She cracked her knuckles.

“Hey, pretty boy, it’s time for me to _collect._ So, you better pay up!” Yang said as she pointed at him. Her smirk widened. 

_She’s acting. Guess I’ll play along._

“Not now, Yang!” Ruby interjected. 

The girl’s request wasn’t met with a response.

Link pretended to ignore Yang for a moment. He leaned against a chair. A small smirk graced his face.

“What, you think I won’t beat you down, again?” 

He stared at her, wearing a bored expression. 

His face abruptly lit up, as if he remembered something.

‘Wait, wait, I think I heard this one before.’

Yang gasped in offense.

“Look who’s being cocky!”

‘So are you.’

Before anyone could make a move, the rest of team RWBY ran into the room.

“ _Yang!_ ” Weiss hissed, catching her breath.

“What?” Yang replied, feigning confusion.

“Why are you fighting Link, _now?_ ” Blake asked.

The girl shrugged.

In the midst of their conversation, team JNPR stormed through the door.

“We heard that an _amazing_ final showdown is happening!” Nora yelled.

Ren quietly closed the door behind him.

 _And so, the actress and actor have an audience._

Link and Yang stared each other down. 

They burst out laughing.

Yang stuttered, as laughter continued to tumble from her mouth, “Let’s fight fair this time. No Semblances.”

The boy nodded. 

The two teams pushed a couple of desks away to make space.

Link grabbed his weapons and shield. 

Yang activated Ember Celica.

The battle began.

Yang pulled her arm back as she fired multiple explosive shots. She charged towards Link. The girl gave him a right hook. He blocked. The boy faked out Yang, slashing the Dust infused blade near her face. She blocked, raising her fists. Ember Celica was covered in ice. Yang couldn’t use any ranged attacks. 

“Seriously?” Yang complained.

He nodded. Yang aggressively smashed the floor with Ember Celica. The ice cracked.

Link rushed up to Yang. He bashed the shield into her body. The girl reacted _instantly._ She blocked with one hand. The impact shattered the ice. Yang grinned. She fired an explosive shot as she punched him.

He was knocked back a fair distance away. He got up.

Yang fired a single shotgun shell. Link blocked. It exploded on contact. It didn’t damage him as much. He backflipped twice to increase the distance between them. He traded the shield for the other scimitar. He fumbled with the swords and slowly connected them. He pressed the button on the gauntlet. It turned into a crossbow. The boy placed the swords on the crossbow. It nicely clicked into place.

He nocked an arrow on the crossbow. 

Yang rolled her eyes. She stood still, as if she was waiting for him.

Link aimed the crossbow at her. The girl wasted no time, rushing towards him like a bull.

He purposely sidestepped a few seconds too early. He briefly swapped the crossbow for his shield. Link front flipped over Yang as he placed the shield underneath him. Once he was upside down, he grabbed his crossbow. 

Link pulled the trigger, shooting an arrow.

Yang simply fired another explosive shot. It destroyed the arrow.

He landed on the ground. 

Link had another idea. He took out a Dust vial from his bag. He threw it onto the floor. It exploded with a puff of red smoke. Yang dodged it.

He backflipped three times to face Yang.

“Nice tricks, Link, but brute strength _always_ wins.” 

The boy laughed softly. He threw another Dust vial. He used Stasis+ on it. Yang rapidly fired at it. Link waited _just_ before the timer ran out. He shot two arrows. 

The bottle was sent flying towards Yang. Link shot a couple of arrows as Yang dodged the Dust vial. He got closer to her.

“Come on and _slam!_ ” Yang yelled as she propelled herself towards Link. 

The boy swapped his crossbow for his shield. The blonde gave him a sharp right hook. He parried the blow. Yang smirked. Yang sent a rapid flurry of punches to Link’s shield. He was pushed back with each hit. The girl ran a short distance behind him. She surprised Link with a sneaky uppercut. 

He dropped to the ground.

“No more blocking! Fight me with all you got!”

Link rose to the challenge with a smile. He abandoned his shield. It landed on the floor with a loud clang. 

Yang grinned back.

He took out his crossbow. With a click of a button, the crossbow turned back into a gauntlet. The scimitars were still paired. He pulled out the gear, separating the swords. He placed them at his sides. 

Link held his Sheikah slate in his hand. A cube bomb formed in his hands. He placed it behind him. The boy took out his swords as he detonated the bomb. He was launched towards Yang. Link rotated his body, spinning like a top. 

Yang couldn’t avoid the ice that followed with each attack. Her entire right arm was frozen solid.

“Got any more tricks?” Yang asked. 

Link thought about it.

The boy nodded. He connected the blades again. Link twirled the weapon in his hands. He jabbed the dual glaives into Yang’s chest. She blocked with her left arm. 

He used Stasis+ on her. He sent a barrage of attacks as the timer began. 

It stopped three seconds later. She crashed into some desks. She grunted. 

“Are you done, now, Yang?” Weiss impatiently asked.

“Since you asked so _nicely,_ sure.” 

The girl lounged around a few desks. It seemed uncomfortable.

‘Are you alright?’

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Yang replied.

No one noticed greedy amber eyes staring through the window.

* * *

Link was back in his quiet room after hanging out with the two teams. He was exhausted. 

Link practised switching the different modes of his weapons. His arms were getting tired. 

He went over to his bed. The boy yawned. 

He fell onto his bed with a soft groan. Link closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

I pat my horse’s neck, trying to shush him. He snorted as he slowly calmed down. I glared at the monster before me.

Dark Beast Ganon. 

I had a death grip on the reins. If it weren’t for the gloves, my knuckles would’ve been white. 

There, was the reason the Champions fell. That monster was responsible for the deaths of _thousands._

I grit my teeth in rage.

Before I could direct my horse, Zelda’s voice rang out in my head.

“Link! You _must_ defeat Ganon, for the sake of Hyrule.”

I firmly nodded.

“Here, the Bow of Light. It is the key to weakening Ganon.”

A bright gold light formed above me. The Bow of Light materialized as it descended into my hands. 

I harshly whipped the reins. My horse galloped across the barren field.

Golden sigils appeared around Ganon’s body. 

“Shoot the sigils!” Zelda ordered.

I aimed the bow at one of them. I shot it. Ganon roared in pain. It digged into the ground with one hoof. Ganon emitted a large burst of purple flames. It created an updraft. I dismounted my horse. I took out my paraglider. The updraft sent me into the sky. 

I sailed until I found another sigil. I shot one. 

Then another.

The last sigil was on its stomach.

I called my horse once I reached the ground. He galloped towards me. I mounted the horse and directed him forward. My horse weaved around the flames as he bolted underneath Ganon. 

I shot it. Ganon’s screech of pain echoed.

My horse zoomed in front of Ganon. 

A hideous eye formed on Ganon’s head. 

“Do it, Link! Shoot the eye!” 

I got off my horse and opened the paraglider.

In seconds, I was in the sky. 

I took a deep breath.

I pulled back the bow.

I shot the eye twice.

Another pained roar erupted from Ganon.

Golden light shone from the eye. It plummeted to the ground. 

It dispersed. Zelda stood in front of me.

I expected her to have a serious or triumphant expression. She didn’t. All I saw in her emerald eyes was terror. 

Ganon was charging _something._ A massive ball of dark energy formed from its mouth. 

Zelda froze up. 

They vanished. A tall silhouette replaced them. It stood below a shattered Blood Moon. It looked at the moon.

I took a step.

Its head whipped towards me. I stared into glowing blood red eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is more to come!


	31. Cinderella and Her Mice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even villains suffer from tragedies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the start of Volume 3.

All it took, were a few cracks.

A raging flame. A shattered jewel. A poisonous liquid.

* * *

A little girl, no less than twelve stood in front of a mahogany coffin. Her posture was rigid as the body that lay inside. Tense shoulders. Buckling knees. 

Her small face gave away her expression. Amber eyes filled with eternal pain and sadness. The girl’s bottom lip trembled.

Tears continued to stain her thin black dress.

Through her tears, she stared at the body.

Her mother. 

Her kind, strong and compassionate mother. 

The girl stared at her, committing her lifeless yet peaceful face to memory. Sickly pale skin. Ashen black hair.

She recalled how sweet her mother was. Her mother would embrace and sing to her. Her mother would always listen to her. She was interested in whatever the girl said.

Gone were the songs.

Gone were the endless love, the beautiful words her mother crafted for her only daughter.

Her mother, Scoria Fall, was lost to the world.

A comforting hand landed on her tiny shoulder. She tore her gaze from her mother. She faced her father. He was dressed in black.

Her father had chocolate brown hair. It was slicked back. A stray hair poked out. It looked gray. His tired amber eyes seemed dull and unfocused. Bags were underneath his eyes. 

Her father smiled reassuringly. It was strained.

“I know, Cinder, I know, sweetie. It’ll be alright.”

His words were meant for Cinder. She knew that. However, she believed that her father’s words were for himself. Maybe he had lied to himself, pretending it was fine that he lost his wife. Cinder didn’t know.

They came home, after a long and dreadful funeral service for her mother.

Her father unlocked the shabby, scratched up door. They went inside. The two were welcomed to a muted home. It was terribly off.

Her father stared blankly at the light red walls. The walls were covered with pictures. 

Of them. Her father and mother. Cinder, too. A smiling, happy family, stared at her father.

The frown he wore at the funeral, deepened. 

“Father?”

He snapped out of it.

“Yes, Cinder?” 

Cinder wanted to comfort her father. She didn’t know how, so she guessed. The girl hugged him tightly as she could. Cinder didn’t say a thing, and neither did her father.

Later, when the evening bled into night, her father found Cinder laying in bed, unable to sleep. The girl sobbed quietly. Her door was ajar. It was decorated with stickers and her name. Her father knocked lightly on the door. The crying briefly stopped.

“Come in.” Cinder rasped.

Her father stepped into her room. He sat on the edge of her bed. 

“Why did mother have to leave? It’s not fair!” Cinder cried. 

The girl clutched her velvet blanket.

Her father sighed, “It isn’t fair, but we have to live with it.”

She didn’t want to live a life without her mother. It was too cold and unforgiving.

Her father seemed to agree.

Cinder watched as the glass bottles piled up. She watched as her father tore down the photos. 

She heard the sobs that came from his bedroom.

She noticed that he stayed home all day. He rarely came out of his room. At night, he would leave. He would ruffle her hair and disappear out the door.

Whenever he came back, he could barely stand up straight. He staggered with each step.

He smelled weird. 

Her father was growing distant. Unhappy.

He remained like this until a beautiful woman swept him off his feet, three years later. The woman had long blonde hair. It was usually tied into a fancy bun. She had sparkling blue eyes and fair skin. She wore a light blue dress that showed off her wealth. 

Her father was in love, again. It made her happy. For a moment.

The pictures on the _blue_ walls were different. None of them were of her mother. All she saw was her father and his new wife, Colette. 

Colette changed her father. She brought him out of his sadness. All of his pain was washed away by her genuine love.

Her love wasn’t extended to Cinder, however. The woman hated her with a passion. Whenever her father was gone, she’d terrorize Cinder. Colette would mock her, calling her Cinderella. Cinder _hated_ that nickname. Colette kept using it.

Her father thought it was sweet, once he heard it. Cinder only smiled.

Colette would direct the sweetest and softest of smiles at her father. Not at Cinder. It was always cruel and menacing.

When her father was around, Colette’s smiles were fake.

The smiles and nicknames were just the beginning.

Then came demands. Colette ordered the teenager around. 

“Be a dear and fetch me a drink, _Cinderella._ ” Colette croned. 

The woman sat in a new wooden chair, in the kitchen. Cinder didn’t grumble. She didn’t show anything on her face. That would get her in trouble.

“Yes, ma’am.” Cinder replied. 

The girl opened the refrigerator door. A _lot_ of food and drinks were stored inside. Before Colette showed up, the fridge was empty. 

Cinder mistakenly grabbed a bottle of grape soda. She froze for a moment. Her hands started shaking. 

Colette hated soda. It was for commoners, she said.

“What’s taking so long? It’s not hard to get a drink!” Colette coldly snapped without looking at Cinder.

Cinder hurriedly went over to the marble kitchen counter. She opened the wooden cupboard and grabbed a plastic green cup. The girl poured the soda into the cup. It fizzed.

The girl brought it to Colette. The woman took a sip.

She scowled at Cinder. The woman slapped her. _Hard._

The girl gasped. She raised her hand to her bruised cheek.

Colette spilled the soda on the floor.

“ _Clean._ It.”

Cinder stared at the soda for a bit too long. Colette threw the plastic cup at the girl to get her attention.

“You made the mess. You should clean it.” Cinder weakly fired back.

Colette didn’t respond. 

“You were the one to give me that _disgusting_ drink.” Colette snarled. 

Cinder tried to ignore her. She tried to ignore the sinister tone of her voice.

“Cinder.” Colette called in a sweet voice.

She sounded just like her mother.

The illusion quickly broke when Cinder looked at her.

Enraged blue eyes met a fearful amber.

Colette tossed a sopping wet rag at Cinder.

The girl went on her hands and knees. She scrubbed the floor.

The woman loomed above her.

“The next time you _dare_ give me soda, you’ll clean the mess with your _tongue._ ” Colette threatened. 

Cinder hid her tears away. 

Colette saw them, anyway. 

“Oh, poor, poor Cinderella.” Colette cooed. 

It was condescending. Cinder hated it.

After this incident, Cinder went to her father. 

“Father! Colette slapped me. She-”

“Colette isn’t the type of person to be violent. Please let your resentment go.”

He didn’t believe his own daughter. He was too blinded by love.

“I’m telling the truth, _please,_ believe me!”

“Ever since your step-mother came into your life, you’ve been miserable. I know you’re still hurting from Scoria’s death, but you must accept that Colette _cares_ for you.”

Cinder’s eyes widened. She stormed out of his room. 

Tears blurred her vision. 

She was so terribly _angry._ Betrayed. 

The girl ran inside her room. She heard footsteps approaching her door.

Cinder ignored it and cried herself to sleep.

Hours later, daylight streamed into her window. The girl got up from her bed. She rubbed her eyes as she walked towards her door.

It wouldn’t open.

She jangled the doorknob.

Nothing happened. It was locked.

Her heart raced in fear. 

She heard laughter.

“You better have fun in there!” Colette taunted.

“Let me out! Let me _out!_ ” Cinder screamed.

Cinder banged her fists on the door.

“You’re such a terrible child. Ungrateful, too.” Colette mused.

“Where’s father?” Cinder screeched.

“At work!” Colette chirped.

The woman left the girl inside her room. For hours.

When her father _finally_ came home, Cinder thought she could escape from her room.

She called out for him. He was too wrapped up with Colette to care. It almost seemed like Cinder didn’t exist to him.

Hours eventually turned into days.

She was starving.

Thirsty.

Cinder could barely move. Her eyelids felt heavy. Everything hurt.

Her mind raced.

She heard the sound of the door unlocking.

Cinder saw her father standing at the doorway. A plate of food was in his hand. 

While she was relieved, Cinder was upset.

“ _Where_ were you?” Cinder spat.

“Colette told me not to bother you.” Her father shyly admitted.

Cinder stayed silent. Her father gently placed the food beside her. He left. Cinder picked at it. She didn’t like the food, but ate it, anyway.

She hated Colette’s cooking. It was so bad and tasteless. It was nothing like her mother’s cooking.

Cinder simply had to deal with it.

The girl dealt with Colette’s emotional and physical abuse for three more years.

Cinder, now eighteen, decided she would leave. It would be better for her.

Her father could stay with Colette. He could love her.

When her father and Colette fell asleep, Cinder slipped out of the house.

She was free.

Free from the torment and neglect. 

Cinder howled with unrestrained laughter. 

She quieted down after receiving a couple of looks. The young woman cleared her thoughts.

The rush of emotions calmed down, as well. 

Cinder thought of her future.

What will she do now?

Can she survive in this world?

She felt nervous. Doubtful.

Was this the right choice?

She shook her head, keeping it high.

There wasn’t any time for doubt. 

She had to be strong. So, she began to walk with a purpose.

Each step she took, distanced herself from painful memories.

Days passed. No one looked for her.

Figured.

She scavenged for food on bad days. Sometimes, people pitied her and brought food. She hated the look in their eyes.

“I'm _so_ sorry for you.”

“Poor, poor girl.”

A part of her was thankful. She had food. Today’s menu was two stale slices of bread with a side of salty crackers. 

She ate a cracker. It was good enough.

Cinder felt a droplet of water fall on her face. She looked up. It was raining. The woman frowned.

She rushed to a rundown alley. Cinder sighed in relief. The windows were draped with paper thin cloth.

Cinder shivered every minute, though. 

The woman sank down onto the cracked pavement.

Cinder listened to the sound of vehicles passing by. She listened to the pitter patter of the rain.

It was peaceful. 

Until she heard thundering footsteps approach the dirty alleyway.

Two teenagers and a child stood before her. 

Both of the teenagers had pale blue hair and golden eyes. The shorter teen wore her hair in a messy ponytail, while the other wore it down. 

The taller teenager wore a simple black t-shirt and jeans with a purple gradient. Over her shirt was a thin black jacket with transparent pink sleeves. The ends of her sleeves had a finger loop. She wore a slim gold bangle on her right wrist. The girl wore a black veil and flip flops.

The shorter girl wore a white sleeveless dress with a sky blue cloth wrapped in a diamond shape. The inside of the dress was blue. The girl wore white see-through gloves, along with a gold bracelet on her left wrist. 

The child, looked completely different. The boy had white hair. It seemed like he had light brown hair, instead. His hair was spiked downwards. The child had red eyes. The boy wore a small amount of silver armor. Underneath, was a long sleeve black shirt. It also had a dark blue sash. The boy wore ripped black pants. Cinder noticed small antler-like horns on his head.

They all had weapons. 

The taller girl pointed a gun to Cinder’s head.

“Money, _now._ ” 

Cinder was terrified. She tried not to shake.

“I don’t have anything!” Cinder protested.

“And I don’t have a gun.” The taller girl aggressively drawled.

Cinder didn’t want to beg for her life. That didn’t make her strong, it made her pathetic. 

She glared at them.

“She’s feisty! She’s feisty!” The shorter girl babbled. The girl’s lips curved into a devious smile.

The taller girl chuckled softly. She lightly tapped the trigger with her finger.

“We don’t like feisty people like you. Always _so_ prideful. That’s annoying.” The taller teenager said.

The shorter girl pointed to the other with a grin, “ _But,_ they don’t scream! That’s pretty weird, right?” 

“Yeah. It’s great for us, though.” The taller girl replied. 

In response, the shorter girl clapped and softly cheered. A moment passed. The boy stared at Cinder as he hummed.

“What do you think, boss? Kill her? I think we should, ‘cause we would get caught. That’s no fun, at all!” The younger girl asked. She sounded excited.

The boy didn’t take his eyes off her. He held his hands together.

“How badly do you want to live?” The boy calmly asked.

Cinder jolted. 

“I never got to live how I wanted, but-”

She didn’t want to tell them her story. 

“I see. Then, why don’t you change your fate?”

“ _Excuse_ me?” 

The boy smiled softly at her. His red eyes seemed kind and inviting. 

“Join us.” 

The taller girl was shocked, to say the least. The shorter girl whooped quietly and parroted the boy’s words.

“Are you _kidding_ me?” The girl asked in exasperation. 

The boy turned to the taller girl. He shook his head.

“Let’s just kill her, now!” The girl argued.

The boy ignored her, then looked back at Cinder.

The _only_ reason she would consider joining is because she could live. 

Cinder nodded. 

The shorter girl squealed in happiness. 

“Welcome to the Birthright Brigade!” The girl said.

“Isn’t it called the Conquest Corps?” The taller girl asked in a teasing manner.

“What our group is called, doesn’t matter. Our names do.” The boy said with an air of finality. 

“Roger that, captain!” The shorter girl replied. She saluted him.

The boy smiled fondly. The smile slipped off his face as his features became neutral.

“I am Fates,” he then gestured to the taller girl, “this is Conquest.”

The shorter girl spun, then pointed to herself, “I’m Birthright!”

Conquest removed the gun from Cinder’s head.

“Who are you?” Conquest asked.

“Cinder.”

Birthright’s eyes sparkled, “Let’s give you a nickname!”

“Just Cinder is fine.”

Birthright pouted.

Cinder wasn’t stupid. She knew that these names were aliases. To make sure they didn’t get caught. That was smart of them, she thought. 

Once they were away from the public, they revealed their names. Birthright was Aqua. Conquest was Azura. Fates was Corrin. 

They were rough, but extremely kind. Corrin stole a pair of metal scimitars. They were designed with gold. Azura robbed a clothing store, and gave Cinder a deep red dress. 

“This looks _way_ better than your rags.” Azura offhandedly said.

Despite not wanting to be sentimental, Cinder cherished it.

Aqua always gave Cinder a bigger food portion, whenever they had something to eat.

They became her family. The family she thought she had lost, long ago.

“Hey, Cin!” Aqua called.

“Yes?”

“Corrin said we should go on a mission! A _sneaky_ one!”

A “mission” was a robbery.

“Just us?” Cinder questioned.

“Nope!” Aqua popped the ‘p.’

Cinder raised her eyebrow.

“Azura’s gonna team up with us!” 

And so, the three set out into a nearby city. Before they left, Corrin warned them of Grimm. He always did. They thought nothing of it.

The trio entered a Dust store. It was crowded.

Cinder and Azura shared a mildly worried look.

Aqua shrugged.

“The money.” Aqua sang quietly, holding the notes.

They nodded. Cinder was a bit reassured. The woman sauntered over to the old clerk.

“Sir, can I have two Dust crystals?” 

The old man wheezed slightly before nodding. While the clerk was distracted, Aqua took out a pistol. She pointed it at the floor.

A person saw it. They screamed in panic, alerting the other shoppers. 

Aqua pulled the trigger. 

“Shut up!” Aqua yelled.

The crowded store quickly became chaotic. The air was tense. Fearful. No one dared to speak. 

The door was ravaged by Grimm. They stormed the store.

“Birthright, sing!” Azura yelled.

“There’s too many Grimm! It won’t subdue them all!” Aqua replied.

Azura cursed. 

Their string of robberies and muggings were over. 

Aqua shot at a few Grimm. The monsters didn’t stop their rampage. The Grimm mauled the defenseless shoppers with ease.

The trio was cornered. 

Azura grit her teeth.

“Aqua, get Cinder _out_ of here!” 

Aqua sang. The Grimm spazzed. They were unable to move. Azura grabbed Cinder by the arm. She ran towards the broken door. The girl solemnly stared at Cinder. 

“What’s our motto, Cinder?”

“Stay strong and kick ass.” Cinder recited.

“You better remember that!” Azura tearfully said.

She pushed Cinder out the store.

“Hey, Azura?” Aqua began.

“Yeah?”

“I love you, sis.” 

Azura briefly stopped.

“Love you back, Aqua.”

Cinder heard gunshots. It eventually stopped. 

Screams. 

Growling.

Then, nothing.

She was too afraid to go back to Corrin.

Cinder was alone, again. 

Her only other family was _gone._

Gone were the wild pranks and laughter.

Gone were the wise words from Corrin.

Gone were the stories.

_Two_ whole years were sent down the drain. Two years of Aqua’s childishness. Two years of Azura’s expressive language. Two years of Corrin’s kindness.

They were gone.

Red hot anger filled her veins.

“ _Stay strong and kick ass!_ ”

She vowed to follow Azura’s motto.

“ _Don’t be scared of people, just slug ‘em!_ ”

Aqua’s violent advice swarmed her head.

“ _Never give into your destiny. Make your own choices._ ”

Cinder held Corrin’s words in her heart. 

A year passed. 

Cinder wandered the streets until she came across something. A deathly pale hand extended outwards. An offer. A vow.

Cinder took it.

* * *

“How was school, honey?”

Emerald glanced at her mother. Her head slumped into the kitchen table.

“It was okay.”

“You’re lying.” Her mother sang.

“The kids at school are teasing me.” Emerald admitted.

Her mother gasped in outrage. The woman pinched her eyebrows as she angrily muttered swears under her breath. Her mother sighed, then sat next to her. She sweetly cooed to Emerald, coaxing her to speak.

“It’s nothing big. They keep calling me weird, ‘cause I don’t have a Semblance.”

“You aren’t weird, honey bun.”

Emerald smiled. 

Her mother gently shook her, grinning ear to ear. Emerald giggled.

“How about we have a movie night and some ice cream?” Her mother asked.

“Right now?” Emerald questioned. 

“Right now!” Her mother parroted with enthusiasm.

Her mother whisked Emerald to the living room sofa. She landed on the leather sofa with a soft thud. Her mother zoomed back to the kitchen. She rummaged through the freezer and retrieved a tub of ice cream.

Mint chocolate chip. Emerald’s favorite. 

Her mother handed Emerald the ice cream. She turned on the TV. The movie began. The little girl almost forgot to eat the ice cream. The movie was too fun!

As the movies went by, the TV screen eventually illuminated the dark room. Emerald fell asleep, leaning against her mother. Her mother picked her up. She carried Emerald to her room.

“Night, sweety.”

Her mother kissed Emerald’s forehead and left the room.

Emerald woke up. She rubbed her eyes. 

The young girl sat on a flat cardboard box, in the middle of a rainstorm. She looked down and hid her face.

If she was truly honest, she missed her mom.

She missed the dumb jokes, the impromptu movie nights. Emerald missed being told “I love you!” 

She couldn’t help but wonder, was it her fault?

Was she cursed? Evil? Disgusting?

She must have been.

That’s not right, she thought. 

I’m still cursed, a voice said in her head.

Emerald closed her tired eyes.

“Mom! Mom!” Emerald called out to her mother.

The little girl repeatedly jumped up and down. A downright adorable grin was on her face. She buzzed with joy.

“What’s up, Em?” Her mother asked with a smile.

“I got my Semblance!” 

Her mother gasped loudly.

“That’s my daughter!” 

Her mother ruffled Emerald’s hair. 

“Can I show you, Mom?”

Asking that question was the worst mistake of her life.

“Of course!”

Emerald smiled. She stared directly into her mother’s eyes. The little girl imagined a family. Her mother, a father and an older sister. 

Her mother’s red eyes widened.

In horror.

Her mother screamed. Loudly.

The illusion broke.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Emerald cried.

The little girl approached her frightened mother. The older woman began hyperventilating. Her whole body trembled. She moved her twitching hand towards her tearstained face.

“What,” her mother paused to take an uneven breath, “what _are_ you?”

Emerald let out a choked noise. Her throat burned. She couldn’t speak.

“That’s not normal. She’s strange. _Its_ not right.” Her mother mumbled like a mantra.

“Mom?”

“Stay away from me! You fucking freak! You’re a _freak!_ ” Her mother screeched in agony. Her voice was an octave higher. 

Emerald took a step back.

The little girl used her Semblance again. Her mother stopped. 

Her mother frantically looked around.

“Where did _it_ go?” Her mother whispered. She sounded haunted by a ghost that didn’t exist.

Emerald bolted out the house. The little girl sobbed.

At the age of ten, Emerald became homeless.

Emerald reopened her eyes. She sighed. Her stomach growled. Emerald stood up and searched for a nearby store. She went inside. The only person there, was the cashier. Emerald smiled at the old man. 

She used her Semblance. The guilt swarmed her heart. Her mother’s voice tore her apart.

The old man handed Emerald a bag of chips. The girl placed a coin on the counter before she left.

Emerald spent the next five years on the streets, using her Semblance to survive.

The teenager checked her empty pockets. No money. No food. She groaned.

Emerald casually walked into a jewelry shop. She was lucky. There weren’t many people. Emerald greeted the clerk. She waved at them with a carefree smile on her face. They tiredly nodded to her. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get it for you.” The clerk said.

They went into the back of the store. A few shoppers gave her weird looks. 

She tricked them, using her Semblance. Emerald swiped the onyx ring from its display case. She put the ring in her pocket, and walked out. The teenager held her head in pain. She shut her eyes tightly. 

The mint haired girl didn’t notice a pair of amber eyes watching her. 

She heard the sound of angry voices.

“Get her!”

“She just stole-”

Emerald tuned them out and ran. 

Someone was following her.

She didn’t look back. Emerald ran until her legs gave out. The teenager ended up in a musty, old alley. Emerald gasped for air.

The girl’s head snapped up to the sound of heels clicking on the ground. 

A gorgeous woman in red sauntered over to her. Emerald gave her a distrustful look.

“How did you do that?” The woman asked.

Emerald fiercely glared at the stranger. The teenager glanced around for a possible escape route. 

She couldn’t find any.

The woman slowly walked up to Emerald.

Emerald’s fingers twitched, itching to reach for her revolvers. The woman immediately eyed the green guns. A warning flashed in the woman’s eyes.

“Don’t.”

Emerald grimaced. She bit her lip.

“Unless, you _want_ to get caught.” The woman continued. 

A nearby voice yelled for the police as rapid footsteps were heard. 

Emerald crossed her arms. 

“What do you want from me?” Emerald hissed.

“Your skills, girl.”

“What skills?”

“Don’t play dumb. I watched you take that ring.”

“So what? It’s not that impressive.” Emerald deflected.

“Now, I _know_ my fair share of thieves,” there was a fond expression on the woman’s face. It faded away as she continued, “but you didn’t _just_ steal that ring.”

Emerald dug her hand into her pocket, feeling for the ring. She wore a guarded look on her face.

The woman smirked, “You tricked the entire room. You sent the jeweler away, you made the others believe that you _vanished,_ lastly, you stole the ring in plain sight.”

Emerald’s expression instantly changed into suspicion. 

“ _Who_ are you?” Emerald slowly asked.

The woman held out her hand as she smiled.

“Cinder Fall. If you follow me, you will never be hungry, again.”

“How do I know you aren’t messing with me?” Emerald asked skeptically.

“Can’t I be hospitable to a child in need?” Cinder asked, almost in a mocking manner.

Emerald yearned for another family. A _better_ family than what her mother provided. The rational part of her, the one that screamed “this woman is dangerous! she’ll hurt you!” was overthrown by the emotions that surfaced.

She wanted to be loved.

She wanted to be accepted.

Emerald reached out and took her hand.

“Good.” Cinder replied with a satisfied smile.

With the thought of a new family consuming her, Emerald missed Cinder’s sinister expression.

* * *

Mercury dragged his father’s dead body with unstable, bloody legs. The gray haired boy looked away. Disgust and anger crawled along his beaten body. He stared at the small house, instead. 

It was on fire.

He started it.

He wanted to burn everything from his memory. Every. Single. Thing.

Mercury thought that he’d be relieved. Escaping the man who _wasn’t_ his father. He thought _killing_ this man would end his problems. 

He wanted to cry. Scream. Laugh. Smile.

Marcus Black was _dead._

Why wasn’t he happy, yet?

Why couldn’t he feel _anything?_

The numbness won’t go away.

Go away. Go away. Go away. 

He stared back at the man. The one who held power over him was now crumpled on the ground, dead. 

Mercury inhaled. The smoke from the house fire bothered his nose. He coughed.

He felt like a kid, again. A _weak,_ naive kid.

Mercury was five years old. He peeked into his parents’ bedroom. One of the lamps lit up the room. 

“Marcus! Mercury is still a child! He shouldn’t be burdened with ‘training!’ He should-”

“Don’t tell me what to do, you _bitch!_ ” Marcus yelled. 

Mercury flinched. 

“I’m sorry, I just thought that Mercury deserves a childhood.” His mother meekly explained. 

Marcus scoffed. Mercury saw his father shake his head. The man clicked his tongue. He strolled towards his mother, trapping her.

Marcus slapped her. He gripped her hair and pushed her down. The man scowled at her.

“That boy deserves _nothing._ Nothing!” Marcus ranted. 

His mother whimpered. She apologized over and over. 

Mercury was too scared to confront Marcus. The only thing he could do was watch. 

The next day, Marcus left the house. Mercury was alone with his mother. They sat on the burgundy carpet in the living room. 

His mother’s mellow gray eyes fell on Mercury. 

“I have a surprise for you, Mercury.” 

Mercury’s mouth hung open. He felt giddy. His mother laughed softly. 

The gray haired woman fetched something from her purse. An action figure. It was bright. Red, blue and yellow. 

Mercury curiously stared at it. His mother smiled as she gave Mercury the toy. The boy grabbed the toy by its waist and flew it around. 

“Thanks, Mama!” Mercury earnestly exclaimed. The little boy grinned widely at his mother. 

“I _love_ you, Mercury.” His mother whispered. 

Mercury put the toy down and hugged his mother tightly. 

“I love you, too.” 

His mother gently ran her fingers through his hair. 

Mercury was six years old when the hell inside his head appeared. 

“Marcus! I’m sorry-” His mother began. 

“If you’re sorry, why the _fuck_ do you keep disobeying me? I told you, Mercury was born to kill. Why are you treating him like a weakling?” Marcus aggressively questioned her. 

His mother took a deep breath. She was terrified. She didn’t want to anger Marcus even further, but she cared too deeply for Mercury. She had to stand up for him. 

It’s not right, Marcus! He’s still too yo-” 

“Shut your damn mouth.” Marcus said. Calmly. His face was blank. Emotionless. 

His dark blue eyes weren’t. The dark pools of water were filled with murderous intent. 

Marcus pulled out a switchblade. His mother’s fear spiked. 

Please, don’t! Marcus, please put it away!” His mother pleaded. 

They always beg. ‘Please don’t kill me! I have a family!’” Marcus lamented. 

“Mar-” 

Marcus grinned. His mother was paralyzed by terror. Her heartbeat quickened. 

“You were good for one thing, _honey._ You gave me Mercury.” 

Marcus plunged the blade into her chest. She screamed. He ripped it out of her body. 

He stabbed her. 

Once. Twice. 

Fifty times. 

Mercury’s mother, Agate Black lay on the floor. Fresh blood coated her petite body. Her gray eyes were dull. 

Mercury sobbed. Marcus glanced at his son. A crooked, bloody smile was etched on his face. 

“Your first lesson is learning how to hide a body.” 

Days passed. Mercury’s training finally began. 

Marcus kicked the young boy in the ribs. Mercury tumbled onto the floor. He yelped in pain. 

Get up, already.” 

His “father” kicked Mercury in the head. The boy caught Marcus’ steel toed boot. The older man hummed in sick delight. 

“Why don’t we try this again, boy?” 

It was an order. 

Mercury reluctantly obeyed. 

Marcus thought of a new training method. He didn’t tell Mercury. Yet. 

The boy sat in a dark empty room. Alone. 

He wasn’t scared of the dark, like kids his age. He was terrified of Marcus. He didn’t want to get beaten. He still had bruises from yesterday. He didn’t want to see the man grin. It was bad. 

Mercury heard the door open. He flinched. 

Marcus turned the light switch on as he walked in. Mercury spotted two knives in his hands. He wanted to curl up into a ball. But Marcus would beat the shit out of him, if he did. 

Marcus stared at his petrified son. The boy kept his fearful grey eyes on the weapons. 

“Don’t you dare cry, boy. Tears make you _weak._ ” Marcus commanded. 

Mercury didn’t respond. Marcus threw a knife at his son. It nicked his left ear. The boy winced, but stayed silent. Screaming made Marcus worse. Scary. Brutal. 

Marcus grinned. He ever so slowly approached Mercury. The steady _click click click_ of his boots contrasted with Mercury’s rapid heartbeat. 

“Pick it up, Mercury.” Marcus drawled. 

Mercury couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think properly. 

_Was he shaking?_

He wasn’t sure. 

Marcus had a blissful gleam in his eyes. The white haired man trailed the tip of the knife along Mercury’s right cheek. The boy jumped, hissing softly in pain. 

“Pay more attention.” 

Marcus waved the blade around. He gripped the handle tightly. He raised the weapon above his head. The man swiftly lunged at Mercury with the knife. The boy rolled out of the way. The knife left a small gash on his arm. 

“You weren’t supposed to _dodge!_ ” Marcus growled. 

The man roughly kicked the boy. He pulled Mercury up by his hair. The boy stopped himself from reacting. 

“Apologize to me for being such a useless child.” 

Mercury’s voice was trapped in his throat. He avoided Marcus’ angry gaze. The man yanked Mercury’s head up. 

“ _Apologize!_ ” Marcus yelled. 

“I’m sorry!” Mercury stuttered. 

“Why are you stuttering?” 

Marcus shook his head. He chuckled. It was low. 

“You’re more useless than your whore of a mother!” 

Anger surged into Mercury’s blood. He _loved_ his mother. He loved how gentle and understanding she was. He loved how she _actually_ cared for him. 

“You’re wrong! You’re wrong! _You’re wrong!_ ” Mercury screamed. 

Marcus merely smiled. He egged his son on. 

“That _bitch_ was slowing your growth. That woman _never_ cared about you or your future!” 

Marcus let go of Mercury’s hair. He kept fueling the flames. 

Mercury refused to look at Marcus. His fingers tensed up. He reached for the knife in Marcus’ hand. 

He looked up. The boy’s face was vacant. His gray eyes were filled with unbridled resentment. 

The little boy stabbed Marcus’ stomach. Before Mercury could inflict any more damage, the man grabbed his wrist. He bent it. Hard. 

Marcus seemed pleased. 

Mercury was eight years old when he killed an animal. 

Marcus returned home from a bar. It was clear that he was drunk. Drinking made Marcus more of a monster. 

He drank often. 

The man smiled at Mercury, who was playing with a bunny. It was rather small compared to other rabbits. It was pure white, while the tips of its cute droopy ears were gray. Its nose twitched whenever Mercury’s finger lightly brushed against it. 

Mercury named it Fluffy. 

Fluffy was given to Mercury as a gift from Marcus. The little boy was suspicious of the present, at first. He warily eyed the man that day. After spending time with the bunny for weeks, the boy thought nothing of it. 

Marcus cleared his throat, alerting Mercury of his presence. The boy pulled his hands away from Fluffy. The man placed a heavy hand on Mercury’s shoulder. The child steeled himself, trying not to flinch. 

“Training. Now.” 

Mercury nodded. Marcus gave the boy a small handgun. The child glanced at it in confusion, but didn’t ask any questions. 

“Shoot it.” Marcus commanded him. 

Mercury nearly dropped the gun. The boy shook his head. 

“I don’t want to hurt him!” Mercury cried. 

For a second, Marcus didn’t react. The man fished out a pack of cigarettes and a yellow lighter. He lit a cigarette. 

Marcus put it out on Mercury’s arm. The boy’s breath hitched. 

The man repeated this process for an hour. For good measure, Marcus threw empty beer bottles at the boy. 

“If you don’t kill it, you’ll suffer more.” 

Mercury aimed the gun with shaky fingers. 

He pulled the trigger. 

Fluffy let out a terrorized shriek. 

The bunny stopped moving. 

Entirely. 

Mercury dropped the gun. He ran as fast as he could into his room. Marcus heard painful, broken sobs coming from Mercury’s bedroom. The man proudly stared at the dead rabbit. 

Mercury was nine when he unlocked his Semblance. 

Marcus stole it, claiming that a Semblance was a “crutch.” 

Mercury was eleven when he murdered a person for the first time. 

Marcus had a hit, laying in wait. The man dragged Mercury out the house. Marcus’ target sat on a wooden bench, in an abandoned park. They were reading a book. 

_“Kill them for your _dear_ old dad, Mercury.”_

Mercury shuddered. The boy complied. 

The child shot the person. They gasped, clutching their chest. The blood on their shirt spread. 

They stopped breathing. 

Marcus grinned at the boy. The boy blankly stared ahead. 

He didn’t want to hurt them. He didn’t have a choice. 

Mercury couldn’t feel a thing. He wanted to feel guilty. He wanted to be sad. 

It was Marcus’ fault that he stopped feeling. 

They went home. Marcus praised his son. 

Mercury was sixteen when he snapped. 

Marcus stood in front of his son. 

“Your mother would've been _so_ proud of you, Mercury.” 

The air crackled. It felt heavy. 

“You don’t have the right to say that!” Mercury yelled. 

“I do, as your father.” 

“You aren’t my father!” 

The teenager’s buried emotions, burst. 

Mercury’s head felt fuzzy. Cluttered. 

He didn’t realize that he walked into the kitchen. He wordlessly picked up a knife. He went back into the messy living room. 

Mercury spaced out. When his mind gained some clarity, he noticed Marcus lying motionlessly on the floor. The man was _covered_ in blood. His lips were stained with fresh blood. His arms had various cuts and bruises. On his neck, chest and stomach were fatal stab wounds. 

Mercury stared into lifeless blue eyes. The teenager’s gaze landed on the wounds. 

The gray haired boy didn’t know how to feel. 

Mercury shook his head. He took a step. He fell, holding back a scream. Something was wrong with his legs. They were bloody. They didn’t feel broken. 

The boy spent the next few minutes wrapping bandages over them. 

He got up, using the bloodstained wall as support. He searched for a lighter. He dragged the body out the door. 

Mercury looked back at the house. He flicked the lighter on and watched as the house went up in flames. 

Minutes passed. 

He picked up on the sound of footsteps. He looked in the direction of the noise. Two women were walking up the hill to his house. 

Well, _old_ house. It was on fire, after all. 

The mint haired girl looked apprehensive. Her red eyes nervously darted around. The black haired woman was confident, however. 

Once the mint haired girl spotted his patched up legs, she seemed jittery. Scared. 

The woman just observed him. 

He didn’t like it. 

“What are you looking at?!” Mercury defensively snapped. 

The woman ignored his question. 

“I’m looking for Marcus Black.” The woman said. 

Mercury spat out blood. He gestured to the man lying face down. 

“There.” 

“ _That’s_ the assassin?” The mint haired girl asked in disbelief. 

The woman calmly looked at him, “And you’re his son.” 

Mercury didn’t respond. He wiped blood off his lips. 

“He must have taught you well, if you were able to kill him.” The woman noted. She wore a small grin on her face. 

Mercury shrugged. 

“What’s your name?” The mint haired girl asked. 

“Mercury.” 

The woman nodded in approval. The grin she had, widened. 

“Are you _anything_ like your father, Mercury?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you catch all the references?


	32. Ready? Clash!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vytal Festival Tournament begins! A couple of skirmishes between various characters are showcased. However, when the first round is done, Qrow appears to Ozpin, delivering dreadful news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I've been WAITING for ages to write this chapter, or this whole volume. A lot of youtubers I usually watch will be present in this volume as very minor or one-off characters. 
> 
> Also, a couple of my close friends have helped me write this fanfic, so I chose to add them as minor characters as well.
> 
> Please enjoy!

Link tumbled out of his bed. The boy sharply inhaled as he tugged on his collar. He tightly shut his eyes. His ears flicked to sound of chirping. Link opened his eyes to see Button hopping on his leg. The little bird worriedly pecked at the Hylian. 

Link’s smile was subdued. The boy waved off Button’s concern.

_It’s just another nightmare._

_But why did it feel like a memory?_

_I defeated Ganon, right?_

Link shook his head. It _had_ to be a nightmare. For the sake of his sanity, it couldn’t be real. 

It wasn’t real. 

Link was startled by a shrill chirp. The bird kept chirping, as if he was ranting. Button transformed into a Faunus.

“Mama!”

‘Yes?’

“Tell me what’s wrong!” The little boy demanded.

‘I’m alright!’

Button gave him a sour look. Link felt sheepish. 

‘I just had a bad dream, that’s all.’

“Talk about it?” Button suggested.

Link relayed the dream to Button. He left out a lot of details. Button held out his arms, pulling the older boy into a hug. 

“Ish gon’ be okay, Mama! You’re strong, even if you don’t feel like it.” 

‘Thank you, Button.’

Button looked up to meet Link’s tender gaze. The little boy beamed. He snuggled into the Hylian. Link hugged the Faunus tighter.

“Go sleep, ‘kay? It’s not sunny yet.” 

Button stood up, holding out his hand. Link took it. The little boy pulled him up with a soft groan. Button lightly pushed Link to his bed.

Link reluctantly went back to sleep.

* * *

Golden light poured from the window as Ruby sat on her bed. The girl yawned and rubbed her eyes. She glanced around the dorm room, realizing that the rest of team RWBY were gone. 

Ruby noticed a note on the short wooden bookshelf.

‘Hey Rubes! We’re gonna practice for the tournament! Call us when ya wake up.   
\- Yang’

“The tournament! I completely forgot!” Ruby exclaimed. 

The girl squealed in excitement. She jumped out of bed with a smile.

“But first,” Ruby set her eyes on a book and a blank piece of paper on the bookshelf, “Mom.”

The girl wore a somber but fond expression on her pale face. She picked the objects up, then took out a pen from her bag.

‘Hey mom! It’s me, Ruby. I would’ve went home to visit, but we’ve been so busy! Oh! I meant, my team and I. Team RWBY! There’s Weiss, who’s cold on the outside but really, really, really sweet on the inside! Then there’s Blake! She’s so cool! She’s pretty quiet but she has this admirable sense of justice! And lastly, Yang! I’m glad I met them. They’re so important to me.’

Ruby tapped her cheek, thinking of what else to write.

‘I also made new friends! It’s kinda crazy how I met Link. He just showed up out of nowhere! He’s almost like Blake, too. He’s become one of my greatest friends! Besides making friends, we stopped baddies! Or well, one baddie. I felt so heroic!’

‘I have to go real soon. The tournament is today, so wish me luck! Bye mom!’

Ruby folded the paper and put it in her pocket. She placed the book in the shelf.

The girl changed into her usual outfit and bolted out the door. She used her Semblance, blasting through the hallway. Once Ruby reached Link’s dorm room, she knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a very exhausted Link.

“Link! Guess what day it is?!”

Link slowly blinked, as if he didn’t comprehend what she said. 

‘Friday?’

“The tournament, silly!”

Link seemingly woke up. His bright blue eyes gleamed with energy. His grin rivaled the sun.

‘When? Where?’

“This afternoon! We should meet up with the team to practice.”

Link nodded. As soon as he took a step, Button flew onto his head. 

The two set off to find the remaining members. Ruby and Link found the gang training in the courtyard. 

The members of team RWBY and JNPR greeted the duo. 

“Hey guys!” Jaune said as he waved. 

“Join us! Join us!” Nora yelled. 

With that, the nine students began preparing. Button trained alongside them.

* * *

A massive gray stadium levitated in the air. It had an inverted cone shape with an enormous dust crystal as a base. The seating area had a large capacity. Above the seats were several holographic screens. Nothing was displayed. Yet.

Above the top level of the seating area was a tiny booth. It housed two familiar Beacon Academy professors, along with a holographic image of the four kingdoms’ symbols, united. 

“Hello, viewers! We’re sure that you all are excited for the fortieth Vytal Festival tournament!” Oobleck rambled into the microphone. 

The crowds roared with anticipation. A chuckle was heard from the speakers. 

“And so, we welcome all of you to the first round - a free for all!” Port announced.

“Ah, we can’t forget about the rules, Port!” Oobleck interjected.

“Correct, Professor! This first round is new to this tournament. Team leaders and lone fighters are required to participate. Whoever distributes the most damage or knock outs gains more points. The winners will advance to the four-on-four round!” Port explained.

Oobleck briefly looked annoyed. 

“Doctor.” The green haired man corrected.

Port muttered an apology. Oobleck nodded. The green haired man instructed a huge group of students to enter the octagonal arena. Fifty names appeared on the screens, as well.

As the students reached the arena, it transformed. On the right side of the arena was rocky terrain, while the left was a forest. 

“Three!” Port’s voice boomed through the microphone. 

“Two!” Oobleck shouted.

“One!” Port yelled.

“Go!” They exclaimed.

The crowd _screeched_. The combatants readied their weapons and darted off.

* * *

A boy with chestnut brown hair and light blue eyes stood patiently near a jagged rock. His bangs were swept to the right. The boy wore a cyan t-shirt and dark blue jeans. On his head was a baker boy hat. A lowercase ‘A’ and an uppercase ‘R’ were stitched onto the midnight blue cap. The letters were yellow.

The boy usually jumped to the chance to fight, but decided to lay low. Having the challenge come to him was somehow _better_. 

A grin quickly formed on his face. He spotted two people coming his way.

Sun Wukong, according to the display. 

And his friend from Shade Academy?!

The boy pointed to his friend. His friend did the same. 

“Alax?!”

“Alpha!”

Alax had short brown hair. It was incredibly messy. The tall boy wore rectangular black glasses, a purple shirt, black jeans and a backwards black cap. The shirt had three interesting designs and white text in the center. He also wore black-brown gauntlets. They had swirling purple flames around them.

‘Know Your Moves!’ it read.

Two designs of a orange haired man and a brown haired girl were on the front. The third design was a black cat. It was on the back. 

Alpharad caught himself on the display. He smirked.

“Guess it’s time for some Forward Aerials!” Alpharad yelled with joy. 

The crowd cheered wildly.

Alpharad sprinted towards Alax and vaulted off a rock. He went in for a clean punch, but was intercepted by Sun. The blond teen smiled at them. The monkey Faunus did a low sweep with his bo staff. At the same time, Alpharad grabbed the end of the weapon. He front flipped over it. The brown haired boy kicked Sun in the face. 

Sun grunted. 

Alax curled his fingers. His fist slammed into Alpharad’s chest. One punch sent the boy crashing into a rock. The boy coughed up blood. Sun winced.

Alpharad continued to smile at his friend.

“We _don’t_ take those!” Alpharad exclaimed.

The boy wiped the blood off his lips. He dashed towards Alax. Alpharad swiftly changed directions. He jumped and twirled in the air, only to land right in front of Sun. The blond jabbed the bo staff into Alpharad’s stomach. The boy parried the attack. He front flipped once more and stomped on Sun. The blond rolled out of the way. 

Sun struck the ground with his bo staff. It created a shock wave, tripping the other boys. Sun’s Ryuji Bang and Jingu Bang turned into gun nunchaku. The boy fired as the nunchaku spun in his hands. 

Alpharad yelped. 

“You gotta nerf those!” The boy said to Sun.

“I don’t see the problem?” Sun asked. He had a confused grin on his face.

“Four. Guns! _Four._ ” Alax replied.

Sun shrugged. 

Alpharad came up with a flashy plan. He whispered it to Alax. They looked determined. Alpharad jumped. Alax angled his right fist upwards as he pulled it back. He punched Alpharad’s back. He was knocked into Sun. The Faunus spun his nunchaku and blocked. Alpharad grabbed Sun’s left leg and threw him into the air. Alax jumped after Sun. He punched him, sending him downwards. 

Sun quickly recovered. He did a back handspring, creating some distance. He stood still, even as the two boys approached him. His hair and tail glowed yellow. Two clones materialized in front of Sun. They sprang forward. Alpharad made the mistake of hitting one. It exploded. 

“Oh, come on!” Alpharad hissed. 

The other clone chased after Alax. The boy attempted to outrun it. 

“Alpha! Take Sun down!”

“Got it!”

Alpharad raced to reach the blond. 

The clone instantly stopped. It changed tactics. It went after Alpharad and tackled him. 

Sun moved again. The clones disappeared. He gave the two boys a cheeky smile before running away.

“Get back here, I’m not done with you!” Alpharad hollered with a soft laugh.

“If only we had a fishing rod.” Alax mused.

“If only.” Alpharad echoed with a sigh.

* * *

Arin was _super_ pumped up. He couldn’t wait to fight. His tiger ears picked up interesting noises. Gunfire. He grinned. Arin followed the sounds. As the gunshots got louder, Arin hid behind a tree. He curiously peered at the two fighters.

They were both guys. The shorter boy looked extremely casual. He wore a simple gray hoodie over a faded black t-shirt. The shirt had some kind of hero on it. The boy wore a colorful cap on his head. The brim of the cap featured numerous anime characters over a light blue background. The rest of the cap was a light shade of gray. It had huge black text stitched on the front. On the right side of the cap was a metal pin. It looked like a bullet. On the boy’s almost pale face, were a pair of glasses. Due to the sunlight, it was tinted black. His sneakers were red and black. He also wore blue jeans.

The boy had shaggy dark brown hair that somehow looked black. His eyes were chocolate brown. 

In his hands, was an assault rifle. It closely resembled a Remington ACR. Parts of it were blue and red. On his back was a black and orange bookbag. It was covered in paint.

The other boy was slightly taller. His skin was a mix of tan and a healthy shade of yellow. Like the shorter boy, his eyes were brown. He had a black bowl cut with an undercut. It fit him surprisingly well. He wore a lilac hoodie and ripped light blue jeans. He wore seemingly expensive white sneakers. 

On the heel of each sneaker was a semi-automatic pistol. The grip and hammer was dark green. The rest of the gun was purple with white engravings. The grips had a small silver chain attached to them. The left chain had symbols on it that read ‘Ju Jitsu.’ The right chain read ‘A. Mafia.’

In the boy’s hands were the same handguns. They didn’t have chains.

Arin didn’t know what the ‘A’ stood for. He jokingly thought it was ‘Ass Mafia.’ He stopped himself from laughing.

“Yo, K-Rod!” The taller boy yelled. There was a wide smile on his face.

His voice was loud yet smooth but not in an overbearing way. It screamed confidence. It was the type of voice to draw you into the sun, leaving you to be burnt or praise it. It didn’t help that his demeanor was similar.

The shorter boy groaned in slight embarrassment. He sharply inhaled through his nose.

“ _Look._ ”

“Nah, man, I can’t just _forget_ my mans K-Rod, dude.”

“I can and will beat you to death.” The boy, apparently, K-Rod replied. He sounded tired and bored.

“Sure, go right ahead. I got the mafia by my side.”

“Where are they?” The boy asked. 

The taller boy waved the gun in his left hand. In response, the other boy raised an eyebrow. 

Arin watched as the taller boy grabbed the other. It almost looked like a tight over the shoulder hug. The shorter boy went somewhat limp, allowing the other boy to use him as a ragdoll. It would’ve seemed like a person messing with their friend if not for the gun pointed to “K-Rod’s” head.

“This is a robbery-”

“You mean mugging.” 

“Okay, yeah,” the taller boy began with a laugh, “this is a _mugging,_ brought to you by the Albanian Mafia.”

“Oh, no.” The other boy said in a flat voice. 

“And I’m just gonna-” the boy yanked the cap off “K-Rod’s” head, “take this.” 

The shorter boy’s tired expression changed into irritation. He elbowed the other boy in the stomach. The taller boy was caught off guard. The shorter boy grabbed the other boy’s arm and threw him onto the ground.

“ _Ow._ Was that necessary?”

“You tried to take my hat.” 

The boy motioned to the cap that lay on the forest floor.

“That ain’t it, chief. You can’t assault someone over a _hat._ ”

“You can’t mug someone over a hat, either.” The shorter boy tiredly shot back.

“To be fair, that’s a bangin’ hat, man.”

“That belongs to me, yeah.”

The taller boy did a kip up. He waved the gun in his right hand, in an inviting motion. He got a half smile and half smirk in response. The shorter boy walked forward, making his way to his cap. The taller boy fired one of his guns. 

A bullet encased in ice grazed his shoulder. He hissed in pain. 

“Whoops, my hand slipped.” The taller boy said. 

“Yeah, fucking right.” The shorter boy replied. 

The taller boy pistol whipped the other boy. The gun was cold to the touch. It left a fresh bruise, along with a patch of ice on his left cheek. 

The shorter boy blocked the next attack. The force of the impact pushed the boy away. The taller boy fired twice. The shorter boy blocked again. 

The taller boy made an annoyed sound. He did a roundhouse kick and purposely targeted the other boy’s left hand. The shorter boy’s grip on the gun loosened. In a short amount of time, the taller boy did a hook kick. The gun on his left foot fired as he kicked. 

The assault rifle was sent to the ground. The shorter boy instantly eyed the weapon.

“If you want your stuff back, you-”

The taller boy was interrupted by none other than Arin.

“What are you doing? Tammel!” Arin screeched in alarm.

The two boys just _stared_ at him. The taller boy seemed amused, while the other boy rose an eyebrow. 

“Uh.” Arin’s voice trailed off.

The shorter boy didn’t waste any time. He activated his Semblance. Two thick bullets formed on the ground. They got up on stubby golden feet. They started waddling around.

The bullets were a metallic gray, while the cases were golden. Two holes were carved into each case. A small line was carved into the case, as well.

They were cute. 

For a moment.

Despite not having any arms, they both held a handgun.

“Pop off, then!” The taller boy yelled.

The two bullets turned to him. They shot him.

“Not at me!” The taller boy exclaimed.

They stared blankly at the boy. A second later, they ran off. They stood behind some trees.

Arin tried to shoot at them to no avail. He pouted.

The taller boy stole the show with his Semblance. A sky blue portal appeared next to his head. A gigantic icy fist jutted out from the portal. 

It hit the shorter boy. He was brutally knocked into a tree.

Arin’s dual guns turned into an arm cannon. He fired a huge laser. It pulverized half of the fist with ease. 

The portal closed. The boy was caught in the blast. The shorter boy pointed at the taller boy. The two bullets came out of hiding. They sent an unforgiving barrage of bullets to the taller boy. He fell. Another portal emerged from thin air. It was placed above the live bullets. An icy foot came crashing down on the bullets. 

They were frozen solid. Arin noticed that the shorter boy’s entire right arm was covered in ice. The tiger eared boy rushed over. Flames spewed out of his mouth as he cursed. It melted the ice.

Though the bullets were no longer frozen, they exploded. The shorter boy groaned in pain.

“Dude, you alright?” Arin asked in concern.

The shorter boy gave him a nod. 

Arin fired another laser at the taller boy. 

“Hey, stop camping!” The taller boy hissed.

Before the taller boy could make a move, a big bullet was summoned. It wore a tattered black headband. Its eyes were carved into a semi-circle, giving it an angry look. A thin line was engraved over its right eye. It carried an AK47. 

As soon as that bullet was created, a swarm of tiny live bullets appeared. 

“K-Rod, are you serious?” The taller boy asked in disbelief. There was a hint of humor in his voice. 

The bullets all aimed at the taller boy.

A voice was heard in the stands.

“You better show him the meaning of modesty!” A person bellowed. The shorter boy smirked.

As the bullets fired, Arin decided to chip in. 

When the hail of gunfire stopped. The taller boy was on the floor. He blearily opened his eyes.

“K-Rod, I _hate_ you.” 

“Sorry, guess my hand slipped.” The shorter boy retorted.

“ _Fuck_ you.”

The taller boy passed out.

Arin gave the boy a high five.

“Nice job, K-Rod!”

The boy sunk into the forest floor as he groaned.

“That’s not my name.”

* * *

Jaune was currently running away from Cinder Fall. 

Why? 

She’s been chasing him and genuinely trying to kill him for the past ten minutes. 

A fireball was sent his way. He yelped. The boy dodged. As he ran for his life, he bumped into someone. A hurried apology left his lips. 

“You finna wanna go, bro? Huh? _Huh?!_ ” 

“What?”

Jaune was lost. 

The person he bumped into started cackling. He gave them a worried look. They screeched as they laughed hard. They gasped for air shortly after. Their face turned bright red. They started tearing up.

A moment passed, they calmed down significantly. 

Jaune took their appearance in. They were a girl. The girl had shoulder length dark blue hair which was pulled into a ponytail. She wore a black long sleeved shirt, along with a gray short sleeved hoodie. The hoodie had minimal diamond shaped designs. The diamonds were black and red. It was half zipped. There was a golden badge pinned onto it. She also wore black skinny jeans and black knee high boots with white laces. 

She had a white baseball cap fastened to her head. 

“Sorry dude, but I’m gonna rag you.” 

“Wha-” 

The girl produced a piercing sound from a guitar Jaune didn’t even realize she had. The base color matched the diamonds on her hoodie. A maroon red that faded into a black ombre. The noise formed a multitude of medium sized violet musical notes; they appeared to be holographic. Although they were holographic, they packed a punch. Jaune flinched for a second before blocking the notes accordingly.

“I warned you didn’t I? Watch where you’re going next time, kid.” The girl said with a slightly agitated expression. Despite her disgruntled look, she ended up laughing seconds later. The girl didn’t seem to take herself seriously.

Jaune made a surprised sound. He didn’t get the joke, but still found himself laughing.

“Well-”

“It’s fine. I’m here to kick butt and have fun. I don’t really take things seriously, anyways.”

Jaune chuckled softly, “Yeah.”

For a moment, he paused, as if he remembered something. He looked over his shoulder, sighing in annoyance.

“ _Some_ of us take things too seriously.”

Cinder sauntered over to the students. A fireball rested in her hands.

“I _never_ expected the knight in shining armor to simply run away.” Cinder commented. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. 

The girl gave the woman a dirty look. 

“Maybe the knight ran away because the _dragon_ wasn’t deemed a worthy opponent?” The girl questioned with a bright smile on her face.

“Excuse me?” Cinder hissed in outrage.

“If you wanna square up, prepare for the clap back. You hear me?” The girl threatened. 

Cinder didn’t understand the girl’s words, but sensed a challenge. A flash of annoyance graced her face.

“I’ll make sure I squash you like the little bug you are.” Cinder said. Her tone was as cold as ice. 

The girl’s face contorted in pure disgust.

“Ew, ew, ew, _bugs._ ”

She made a dramatic gagging motion. Jaune pat her shoulder. She swatted his hand away before he could touch her. The girl regained her composure.

“Ahem. So. _You_ plan on squashing _me?_ We’ll see how that goes! Let’s cut this chatter short and start swinging!”

“Aren’t you confident?” Cinder mused.

The girl ignored Cinder. She turned to Jaune.

“Yo, kid, let’s join forces like true knights and defeat this hideous beast!” 

“My name is Jaune.” Jaune muttered, somewhat dejected.

“Uh. Right, Jaune! I’m Pokuda. Let’s _get_ her!”

Jaune nodded. 

“But after we’re done with her, your life won’t be spared.” Pokuda said, making a heart with her hands. She flipped her guitar into the air, jumping on it like a hoverboard. Transparent musical notes kept the guitar in the air. 

Jaune did a double take. The girl, Pokuda was _something,_ to say the least. She reminded him of Nora.

A battle cry was heard. Pokuda shot forward towards Cinder’s direction and attempted to land a kick to her face. Cinder dodged the attack. Pokuda smirked at Cinder. The woman raised an eyebrow. Pokuda got off the hoverboard. She violently strummed the instrument.

“I wanna let the light come into my world!” Pokuda sang with glee. A blinding flash of light appeared. 

Cinder was stunned. The girl called for Jaune. He ran towards her then rapidly slashed his sword. 

After the sixth swipe, Cinder was able to move. The woman retaliated by extending her hand towards the ground. She created a circle of hissing magma under Jaune’s feet. The boy yelped in pain. He flinched, trying to get away. Feeling a little bad for the poor kid, Pokuda cracked her fingers and thought to herself out loud.

“This lady really thinks she’s the shit, doesn’t she? If anyone’s gonna put her in her place, it’s me.” Pokuda said, tuning her guitar nonchalantly.

“Uh, you do know that you said that out loud, right?” Jaune squeaked.

The boy went pale as Cinder _stopped._ The woman didn’t seem to react.

A second passed. 

Cinder went ballistic. The look she gave Pokuda, sent chills down Jaune’s spine. The woman’s glowing amber eyes held no mercy. It was akin to that of a devastating wildfire. His heart raced in fear. A bead of sweat trailed down his forehead. He’s seen the woman annoyed or displeased, but _never_ angry.

It terrified him. For a moment, he truly believed that she would kill them.

Unlike Jaune, Pokuda _wasn’t_ afraid. Her heartbeat matched her growing anticipation. Rapid. In the face of danger, she _grinned._

“Whoops.” Pokuda said in a flat voice.

Cinder snarled.

“Pokuda, I think we should run. _Now._ ”

“Nah.”

The girl lightly strummed the guitar. 

“Dance dance with me. Everybody, one, two, three!” Pokuda sang softly. 

Pokuda’s song calmed Jaune down. He gave her a questioning look. The girl shrugged in response. 

“All the underdogs in the world! A day may come when we lose, but it’s _not_ today. Today we _fight!_ ” Pokuda nearly screamed.

The song had a strange effect on Jaune _and_ Cinder. Jaune felt invigorated. _Determined._ He knew he was up against Cinder of all people, but he almost didn’t care. 

It wasn’t recklessness. It was bravery. 

The grip he had on Crocea Mors tightened. 

He stared directly into Cinder’s eyes. His eyebrows quirked up in confusion.

The usually confident woman vanished. Cinder looked like a kicked puppy. Her amber eyes were wide in fear. Her face was etched in sorrow. The woman hunched her shoulders, trying to appear small. 

Defeated and broken.

For some reason, a scared Cinder didn’t look _right_ to Jaune. He wasn’t sure what to think about that.

The two students used this to their advantage. Pokuda bashed the guitar into Cinder’s stomach. The woman was strangely unable to counterattack, leaving her open. The girl snapped her fingers. She plucked a chord. The single sound created a green musical note that bolted towards the woman. 

Electricity pulsed. It shocked Cinder. Jaune swung his sword. He then hit the woman’s chest.

“Aw, how adorable, she can’t fight back. Oh, my god, that’s so cute!” Pokuda mocked in a belittling tone. 

“Guess this ‘dragon’ really isn’t worth fighting, huh, Jaune?” The girl continued as she hurled her right foot to connect with Cinder’s ribs. Cinder weakly fell to the side with a cough.

Jaune’s head whipped to Pokuda. His mouth hung open in shock. 

“Pokuda, _why_ are you taunting her? She’s going to _kill_ us. I’m serious, she’ll do it!” Jaune rambled on.

Jaune was starting to regret pairing up with Pokuda. He feared for both their lives. On the other hand, he was ecstatic. He felt giddy that Cinder finally got what was coming to her. Karma. The boy knew she had a weird obsession with Link. He knew something was off about her, but he could never figure out exactly _what_ it was or _why._

It bothered him.

Either way, it was riveting to see Cinder being knocked down a peg. 

Jaune wanted to thank Pokuda.

Then, he saw the look on the young girl’s face. Pokuda stuck her tongue and both middle fingers out. 

Jaune choked on his own spit.

“ _Pokuda,_ no!” Jaune nearly screamed in alarm. 

Dread flooded his body when Cinder started moving. 

Pokuda didn’t seem _too_ worried. She was a bit quiet.

Jaune _hoped_ her silence wasn’t a bad thing.

Terror ripped his body in two once Cinder started _laughing._

Pokuda didn’t react.

Pure, unadulterated _fear_ surged his heart when Cinder ever so slowly took out her swords.

He felt sick to his stomach. 

The look she had on her face-

_fucking_

-scared him.

Cinder shook her head. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Instead she tapped a device in her ear.

“ _Emerald,_ I need your assistance.” 

Her tone was demanding. Calculating. Cold.

Cinder’s voice promised the worst thing imaginable. 

Jaune spoke up. 

Cinder didn’t bother to even look at him. The woman was too focused on Pokuda.

“You can’t do that!” Jaune protested. It was a terribly weak attempt.

“I can’t ask a _friend_ for help?” Cinder shot back.

Her question was condescending. It was a challenge.

Cinder smirked.

Pokuda froze up. The girl was incredibly grossed out. Outrage and blatant distress colored her face. Her eyes met Cinder’s. She let out a disturbed howl. Or a laugh laced with disbelief.

“What the _fuck_ is this? Holy _shit,_ no, no!”

“Pokuda? What’s wrong?”

Jaune didn’t want a repeat of Ruby. He didn’t want to see another person break down in tears.

“This arrogant bitch is _kissing_ me! _Yo._ Yo! I don’t want to live. I’m _dying._ ” 

Pokuda was in the middle of a melt down. Her words became jumbled the more she spoke. The pitch of her voice got higher. Frantic gibberish came out of her mouth with each passing second. 

It was over the top yet so _genuine._

“K-kissing? Pokuda, what?!” Jaune exclaimed. 

He was wary of Cinder. He didn’t want to drop his guard around her at all. Link would have his head if he did. Figuratively. 

Jaune was more concerned about Pokuda. The girl didn’t respond to his question. 

He briefly kept an eye on Cinder before completely turning to the girl. He lightly shook her. Pokuda reacted _badly_ to that. She instantly hit him with the side of her guitar. 

The strike was sharp. Brutal, almost.

He fell onto the floor with a shout. 

Jaune heard footsteps. He looked up. He wished he hadn’t.

Cinder began to walk towards Pokuda.

The boy quickly stood up.

“Don’t come any closer!” Jaune warned.

His words seem to have fallen on deaf ears. 

“Of course, I see that you are _still_ so foolish.” Cinder criticized. 

Jaune ignored the obvious jibe. 

He tried calming his frazzled nerves by taking a few quick breaths. It didn’t work.

He stood, waiting for Cinder to do _anything._ He had to be prepared. 

Cinder struck Jaune’s sword with her own. If it weren’t for his tight grip, the weapon would’ve easily been knocked out of his hand.

The woman hissed in annoyance. 

She called for Emerald once again. Jaune was immediately affected by the girl’s Semblance. Cinder snuck up behind the boy. She knocked him out.

The woman grinned evilly at Pokuda. Oh, how she _wished_ to kill the pest. She was disappointed that she couldn’t. Instead, she knocked her out, as well.

* * *

A tan boy hid behind several rocks. He had pitch black hair, which was swept to left. His almond shaped eyes were dark brown. Patches of yellow downy and short flight feathers were on his cheeks. 

He wore a navy blue beanie. White text was stitched onto it. ‘LAFD’ it read. The boy wore cheap silver headphones with a dangling microphone attached. He wore a teal t-shirt underneath a gray hoodie. A faded pair of blue jeans and light yellow sneakers completed his look. 

He glanced at one of the displays in feigned distaste. He gasped in indignation. On the screen was, of course, his name; Quackity, face and-

‘Which left?’

Bold comic sans text reminded him of that terrible moment. You mess up a direction, _one_ time and everyone gets at you! 

It was multiple times.

The boy scoffed. A second later, he became flustered. The world would see his mistake! The feathers on his cheeks fluffed up.

“ _Guys._ ” Quackity uttered into his poor quality microphone.

One word had the masses screeching. Delight? Outrage? Hype? Fear? He didn’t know.

Quackity giggled. It turned into a roar of joy as music blasted through the speakers. He choked on his laughter as he recognized the song. It was an anthem. _His_ anthem. 

“Biss on the tournament, guys! Everyone say biss on the Vytal tournament.”

He struggled to breathe as the crowd followed his directions. 

“I _deserve_ respect, don’t you guys agree? ‘Which left?’ is a mistake that needs to die, already!”

The crowd cheered.

“Respect for Quackity!” The crowd boomed.

In the midst of the crazy, loud crowd, a person ambushed him.

“You asshole-!” Quackity yelped in surprise.

“It’s not my fault you made yourself a target.”

“I was hiding!” Quackity whined.

The person raised their eyebrows. They looked unimpressed.

“And _I_ don’t want to fight you.” The person sarcastically remarked. 

The person was male. He had dark skin and black hair. Like Quackity, he had brown eyes. The boy wore a red jacket with black sleeves. He also wore jeans and black boots. On his neck was a spiked leather choker. Quackity eyed it in confusion.

Quackity stared at the weapon in the boy’s hands. It was a sword. The hilt was silver with black engraving. The engravings resembled four elements, earth, water, air and fire. The sword consistently emitted a white light from the blade. The glow stick-like blade was powered by Dust crystals.

“Hadji’s my name and your death’s my game.”

Quackity snorted. In response, Hadji attacked. The Dust powered blade burned into Quackity’s left sleeve.

“It’s kind of dumb of you to not have a weapon.” Hadji announced. 

Quackity laughed softly.

“I _do_ have a Semblance.” Quackity replied. 

“And weaknesses.” Hadji sharply said. The boy didn’t explain himself any further. 

Quackity softly cursed under his breath. His Semblance, Raid was strong, but it came with a few drawbacks. It was powerful when he had massive support from an audience, if he didn’t, Quackity was screwed. Raid also took a while to activate, so the boy usually had to stall for time. Lastly, _any_ interruptions or rapid dwindling support stopped his Semblance. 

Quackity shook his head and shrugged it off. Hadji’s beam sword changed color. It was now green. The boy slashed his sword twice. Quackity leapt out of the way. Despite dodging the attacks, gusts of wind sent him crashing into the rocks. The boy’s body slumped onto the floor.

Hadji slowly approached him. Quackity grinned.

“Guys, we can’t let Hadji stop us! We can’t stand for this oppression-”

“I barely did anything.” Hadji said flatly.

Quackity spoke louder, “Everybody scream ‘Duck Rights!’ Let’s make this worldwide.”

Chanting from the crowds was heard. Quackity whooped. The boy got up. He sputtered in shock as he looked at the display. Apparently, the sportscasters wanted him dead. Or legally close to it.

‘A thousand points to whoever defeats Quackity!’

The crowd wasn’t happy. Hadji was. The boy slashed the sword into Quackity’s hoodie. Quackity dodged. He stumbled, tripping over his own feet.

Before Hadji could attack, a loud voice interrupted them. Hadji sighed in exasperation. The new fighter glared at Hadji. 

Hadji clicked his tongue. Quackity sighed in relief. The two were distracted.

Quackity noticed the challenger was yet another guy. The boy had fiery red hair and sharp golden eyes. He wore a crimson jacket with wide pale yellow circles around the armpits. The sleeves were rolled up. Underneath the jacket was a tangerine orange shirt. It had three visible red buttons. The collar also had a button. He wore tan pants and mint green sneakers. The boy wore a golden wrist guard on his left arm. 

Like his appearance, the boy’s weapon and shield were golden. 

“Hadji, I won’t let you beat me again!” The boy declared.

“A rematch, really? I’ll just win again.” Hadji replied. 

The boy charged forward with a yell. The second his sword came in contact with Hadji, flames erupted from the blade. The other boy countered, changing the color of his sword. It was dark blue. Steam formed from the two blades. 

Quackity dashed and hopped around the rocks. The redhead threw his shield at the runaway duck Faunus. The boy caught it with somewhat clumsy hands.

“Hey, give that back!” The boy shouted at the top of his lungs.

Quackity sped up once the two boys went after him. He lost his footing and slipped. The shield broke his fall. The boy tumbled away from the rocks and roughly landed on the ground. 

A short girl helped him up. She was light skinned, and like Quackity, she had brown eyes. Her long black hair went past her upper back. It was neatly braided. The girl wore winged eyeliner. 

The girl wore a black hoodie with bright chibi artwork of a boy band on the back. The front had bold flamingo pink text and a blue-pink flower made out of lines. She wore blue skinny jeans and pale red sneakers.

“Thanks!” Quackity chirped.

The girl nodded softly. She smiled.

The boy frantically looked behind him. The two boys stood before them.

“I need your help, please!” Quackity begged.

The girl stared at the two boys, then to Quackity. 

“Sure.”

The girl was soft spoken and a little awkward, but her kindness shone through. Quackity grinned at her. 

The black haired girl glanced at the shield. It started to levitate, bringing Quackity with it. He shouted in surprise.

“I should’ve warned you, I’m sorry.”

“You know, it’s fine!” Quackity’s voice trailed off.

The duck Faunus saw Hadji hold the redhead back. The boy in question screamed for his shield. Quackity laughed nervously.

“What should we do?” Quackity asked.

The girl bit her lip. She looked at the bits of rubble and pebbles on the ground. They floated upwards. The mass of pebbles pelted the two boys. It didn’t do anything besides distract them. During the hail of pebbles, the shield zipped towards the boys. Quackity kicked Hadji in the face. The boy stood on top of the golden shield, only to hop off. He punched the redhead’s chest. 

The redhead reacted quickly, sending a wave of fire by swiping his sword. He reached for his shield. It floated away. He glared at the girl. He charged after the girl. The boy jumped into the air and pointed his sword downwards. The girl rolled out of the way. The boy landed with ease. Once his sword connected to the ground, it created a small scale explosion. 

The boy dramatically pointed at the girl. She gave him an owlish look.

“Shield. _Now._ ” The boy demanded.

Quackity gasped.

“Everyone! Guys, say stop bullying my teammate.” Quackity yelled into his microphone.

The crowd responded wildly. A chorus of ‘Stop bullying!’ was heard everywhere.

The girl blushed. She looked flustered, but didn’t say a word. Quackity mouthed a sheepish apology to her.

The duck Faunus activated his Semblance. A devastating horde of ducks were summoned. The ducks quacked in excitement. It vaguely sounded like words. Quackity ordered the ducks. They swarmed the two boys, trampling them. 

Quackity winced when he heard muffled screams. He sucked in a breath as some of the ducks began attacking the boys.

After five minutes, the stampede was over. The ducks slowly vanished. Both Hadji and the redhead were on the floor.

Quackity and the girl stared at each other. They shrugged.

* * *

A boy slowly clapped. He stared ahead, glancing at his two opponents. 

“Fight Review.” 

One of his opponents, a boy, held recognition in his brown eyes.

“Pewdiepie?!” The boy exclaimed in shock.

“That’s me, yeah.” Pewdiepie said with a slight smile.

His other opponent, a girl looked on in confusion. She was dressed in red and black. Ruby Rose. 

The boy was light skinned. He had short black hair in the shape of a mohawk. Interestingly enough, the tips of his ears were pointy. 

The boy wore a purple headband and armor. The chestplate, shoulder and arm guards were lined with gold. Underneath the armor, he wore a daffodil yellow buttoned up semi-sleeved shirt. The shirt was sleeveless on the right, while the left was long sleeved. The boy wore thin pants. The left pant leg was plum purple, while the other leg was black. The left pant leg had a yellow vertical stripe. The boy also wore gold leg guards and black boots. A purple cape with two crisscrossed robotic zeros completed his look.

He seemed cheerful. The boy radiated massive positive energy, just like the sun. He grinned happily. 

“Come on Rooby, let’s do Pewdie in his Pewdiepie hole!”

Pewdiepie chuckled. He covered his face as he started to laugh. Ruby stared at the boy, clearly startled. The black haired boy smiled at Ruby.

The boy tried not to laugh. Instead, he unsheathed his weapon. It was a simple sword. The sword transformed into a spear. The spearhead was covered in ice.

He threw it. The spear hit Pewdiepie’s leg. The boy’s right leg froze. 

Ruby fired a few times. She sped across the moss and grass to reach Pewdiepie. The girl slashed Crescent Rose. The blond hobbled out of the way. Ruby picked up the spear. She tossed it to the boy.

The boy rushed towards the blond. The spear turned back into a sword as he ran. The boy sent a flurry of strikes to the other boy. Ruby launched herself backwards by firing Crescent Rose. She embedded the blade into the ground and rapidly fired. 

The blond called it quits and ran off. The two students felt disappointed.

* * *

Link took his last opponent down. For the past twenty minutes, people have been picking fights with him. He won each and every battle. Although, he was baffled at how easy it was to defeat them. He didn’t complain. 

Each fighter left a bruise or cut along his skin. Thankfully, his injuries were minor. For now.

* * *

Ozpin sat in his metallic chair, sipping hot chocolate out of his mug. He placed it on his desk. His fingers drummed lightly against the curved desk. The man watched the Vytal tournament on his Scroll. He felt prideful, seeing his students hold their own against other fighters. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.

He was expecting a visitor today. Qrow. 

The man looked up, facing the elevator. His long time friend hunched his shoulders as he walked forward. The man’s posture straightened out. His dull red eyes sharpened.

“Oz, we got a problem.”

Ozpin nodded softly, “Yes, it appears that we do.”

Qrow unlocked his Scroll. Three images were presented on the screen. Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black.

“They _aren’t_ supposed to be in this tournament. The _only_ reason why our little infiltrators are here is to finish the job they started.”

Ozpin held his mug by the rim. His dark brown eyes met dull red.

“Killing the current Fall Maiden, I assume.” Ozpin replied.

Qrow ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah. But they changed their course of action.”

Ozpin hummed.

“The Queen and her little entourage are after Link.”

The usually calm professor froze. The grip on his mug tightened. The man was struck with a familiar feeling. Dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the last two "fights" I really wasn't sure what to do with them, despite having a bit of plans for 'em.


	33. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the first round, things cool down as Link spends quality time with his friends. Emerald and Mercury crash the party. Link and co question the duo about Cinder.
> 
> Link is called to Ozpin's office. Terrible things are revealed. 
> 
> In the meantime, Cinder hacks into the tournament.

The fighters for the first round were allowed a break. A sea of competitors flocked to the festival fairgrounds below the stadium. The leader of team RWBY all but dragged Link with them. He didn’t mind. He watched Ruby with mirth in his eyes. The small girl shortly zipped around, glancing at all of the attractions. Yang and Weiss shared a fond look, before the blonde burst out laughing. Weiss smiled at Ruby, who gaped at the sight of food. The girl’s mouth seemed to water as her stomach growled.

Ruby flushed in embarrassment. Weiss shook her head.

“Team RWBY! Charge!” Ruby ordered. The girl pointed to the food stand. 

Before they could even take a step, they were interrupted by two familiar faces. 

“Might be hard buying food without this.” Emerald announced. The mint haired girl slowly waved a red wallet in her hand. 

Ruby gasped. She turned to Emerald. The girl’s eyes widened in surprise. She seemed a bit panicked as she pat her outfit.

“Thank you so much! I had no idea that I lost it!”

“No problem, Ruby.” Emerald said with a soft chuckle. She handed the wallet to its rightful owner. The shorter girl gushed, thanking Emerald over and over. Mercury laughed at Emerald’s blushing face. In response, the girl sent him a glare. 

“How are you?” Blake asked.

“We’re pretty good. We saw some of your fights.” Mercury replied.

“They were amazing!” Emerald added.

Ruby blushed. The girl stuttered and mumbled softly. Yang ruffled her hair. 

Weiss snapped her fingers. An idea popped into her head.

“Why don’t the both of you join us for lunch?” 

Emerald sucked in a breath. Mercury let out a low whistle. Disappointment painted their faces.

“I don’t think we can. We’re kind of,” Emerald trailed off, thinking of a word. Her face scrunched up in thought.

“Busy.” Mercury smoothly finished.

“Please? It’s the least we could do!” Ruby begged.

“Don’t you have _other_ friends?” Emerald asked. Link picked up on the frustrated, almost snippy tone of her voice. 

“You guys aren’t our friends?” Ruby asked. Her question was so innocent and childlike. The girl sounded hurt. Emerald recoiled, as if she was burned. The older girl slightly opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Mercury briefly glanced at Ruby and shrugged. He paid more attention to the shell-shocked Emerald.

“We’ll get in trouble.” Emerald whispered.

“I know.” Mercury whispered back.

“But I want _this_ so bad.” Emerald said under her breath.

“I know.” Mercury repeated.

Mercury wore a lopsided, funny smile on his face. He nudged Emerald towards the group.

“Suddenly, we aren’t busy.” Mercury said with a smirk. 

“Oh, I _like_ you.” Yang said to the gray haired boy.

Mercury short circuited for a moment. The tips of his ears were bright red.

“Surprise, surprise, I like you, too, _Blondie. _” Mercury snarked.__

____

“Blondie?!” Yang shrieked in outrage.

“What’s wrong with it?” Mercury asked in a somewhat mocking tone. He sounded more amused than anything else.

Link couldn’t help but laugh. The banter between Mercury and Yang reminded him of a certain duo. Revali and Urbosa. The Gerudo woman never failed to rile up and tease Revali. The prideful Rito always became flustered, unable to say a single word. He missed them.

The soft sound stopped the two in their tracks. Mercury gave Link an owlish look. The gray haired boy’s teasing grin was wiped off his face. He seemed bewildered. Yang snorted at the shocked teenager.

“What, never heard him laugh?” Yang asked.

“Guys! Stop being _weird,_ we’re hungry.” Ruby whined.

Blake’s stomach growled. Loudly.

“I told you so!” Ruby yelled at Yang. 

With that, the group ordered and ate some food. Just as they finished eating, team JNPR greeted them. 

“Jaune! Your fight was _awesome!_ You did so well!” Ruby gushed.

Link offered an approving nod to Jaune.

The boy looked away. He was blushing.

“I didn’t do _that_ much, guys.” Jaune deflected.

“You fought _Cinder,_ you know, the crazy lady from down the lane?” Nora yelled.

Emerald looked somewhat offended.

“And lost.”

“Jaune, you gained _more_ points than she did.” Ren quietly noted.

“Still-”

“Jaune, you fought as hard as you could, we _all_ admire that.” Pyrrha reassured him.

“ _Besides_ that, you gave Cinder a run for her money. She was ranting and raving about you!” Mercury added.

Jaune paled.

“She’s going to kill me, great.” Jaune muttered.

Mercury snickered, while Emerald looked guilty.

‘You’ll be fine, Jaune. Your team will have your back.’

Jaune smiled.

The much larger group talked and joked around. Link watched Emerald with curiosity. The girl wore a blindingly _bright_ smile. It was genuine. Her red eyes crinkled in pure delight. She cherished this moment, as if it would _never_ happen again.

Link sadly knew why. Cinder. Emerald and Mercury stood by her side, no matter what. 

Although, that loyalty was _cracking._ A ball of anxiety formed in his heart. If they managed to leave her, he had no doubt that Cinder would kill them. 

He heard the threats. He saw the bruises and burns. 

It would be very risky to sway them. Dangerous. 

It would be horrible if he didn’t bother to try. He _had_ to do something good, for once. Something heroic.

“Earth to Link.” Yang called.

‘Yes?’

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Yang asked.

Ten pairs of eyes landed on him. He strunk back. Link _still_ wasn’t used to the attention.

‘I wanted to talk to Emerald and Mercury about Cinder.’

“A serious talk?” Ruby asked.

“No, a funny one.” Weiss sarcastically shot back.

Emerald looked apprehensive. Skittish. Mercury didn’t react. His posture was a bit too stiff, however.

Yang cleared her throat.

“Cinder’s dress? _Wack._ ” Yang began.

Everyone paused in confusion. Except one. Ruby. The young leader grinned at Yang.

“Her Semblance? Boring!” Ruby cheered.

“Her jewelry? Utterly tasteless.” Weiss joined in.

“Her personality? _Lacking._ ” Blake said with a small smile.

Emerald _laughed._ She laughed so hard that she started wheezing. Mercury quickly followed suit. The rest of the students made similar attempts to improve the mood.

Nora rapidly banged on the table. The cook gave her an irritated look.

“It’s time to get serious.” Nora said.

Link sighed softly.

He couldn’t save Hyrule the first time. He couldn’t stop the Calamity. He couldn’t save the Champions from their deaths. He wasn’t even sure if he rescued Zelda.

Couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t.

The _least_ he could do, the least he had to do, was help these two.

‘How badly do you care about Cinder?’

Emerald narrowed her eyes into a heated glare.

“Is that a threat?” Emerald hissed.

Link blinked.

‘It’s not.’

“I’ll be honest, then. Can’t say I care much about her.” Mercury said. 

‘Is that the truth?’

“Why do you want to know?” Emerald carefully asked.

‘She doesn’t care about either of you.’

“Kind of realized that from the start, Link.” Mercury replied.

“You’re wrong. You’re _wrong!_ Cinder cares!” Emerald shrieked. 

Everyone looked concerned.

“If she truly cares, why can’t she _show_ it, or better yet, tell you?” Weiss snarked.

“She has.” Emerald mumbled weakly.

“ _When,_ Emmy?” Nora asked.

Emerald didn’t respond for a while.

“Cinder wouldn’t have saved me, if she didn’t care.”

Link made a face.

“What?” Emerald snapped.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked.

“We did bad shit, and Cinder decided to pick us up.” Mercury vaguely answered. 

‘Wouldn’t it be better to surround yourself with better people?’

“Cinder is a good person!” Emerald defended.

“She beat the shi-” Yang stole a glance at her sister, “ _hoo-hah_ out of an eight year old.”

“She targeted Link _nonstop._ ” Blake said. 

“Cinder tried to beat up Linky when he was injured!” Nora yelled.

Weiss counted the reasons off her fingers.

“Oh, I get it, now.” Mercury said. 

He completely turned to Link. Blank gray eyes met blue.

“You feel _bad_ for us, huh? You _pity_ us.” Mercury taunted.

Mercury sounded _angry._

“We aren’t fucking projects. You _can’t_ save us.”

“Woah, Mer-”

“Shut _up,_ Yang.” Mercury growled.

Mercury’s eyes changed. 

Flashes of the Yiga Clan entered his mind. Those crazed, _murderous_ eyes seized his head.

Link stared directly into Mercury’s eyes.

Just as he was about to write, Blake spoke up. She seemed hesitant, at first.

“I _know_ how it feels to be,” Blake inhaled sharply as her bow curled downwards, “ _abused._ ”

Mercury took his eyes off Link.

“So?” Mercury snapped.

“I’m still afraid but my friends taught me how to feel loved again.”

Ruby cooed. Weiss _almost_ cried. Yang smiled. 

“I don’t want to hear your _sob story._ ” Mercury commented. 

He seemed oddly defensive. 

“We would like to hear yours.” Ren said.

“Sure you would.” Mercury shot back.

“We would.” Nora parroted. 

“Fine.” Mercury replied.

“I’m a thief and he’s a butcher.”

Ruby was confused.

The silent ‘oh’ of realization was apparent on their faces.

“Well, that doesn’t matter!” Ruby cried.

Mercury raised an eyebrow.

“We’re _still_ your friends, and friends are supposed to help each other!” Ruby concluded.

“You’re _crazy._ ” Emerald said.

“Nope! I’m _Ruby._ ” Ruby laughed at her own joke. Yang rolled her eyes.

Link’s Scroll buzzed, slightly ruining the already _weird_ mood. 

Ozpin was calling him. He begrudgingly answered it.

“ _Link._ Come to my office, _now._ ”

The headmaster hung up. 

‘I have to go back to Beacon. It’s urgent.’

Link glanced at Emerald and Mercury, ‘I’m sorry for prying.’

Mercury huffed and shrugged. Emerald didn’t say a thing. 

Link waved the group goodbye and left.

* * *

The Air Bus dropped Link off to Beacon Academy in an hour. Link thought it looked more like a ship. With wings.

Link soon became puzzled as a swarm of Airships appeared in the sky. Weiss mentioned these ships once. They belonged to Atlas.

The boy’s jaw dropped as he noticed a crowd. 

_What is going on?_

The Hylian gently pushed past the small crowd to see a scuffle. Link stared at the two fighters in confusion.

_Qrow and an older Weiss?_

The woman in question styled her white hair in a bun at the rear left corner of her head. Her bangs fell towards the right side of her face, while a stray, curly lock of hair reached below her left ear. 

Her clothes were navy blue, which included white and gray. She wore a white coat with a red brooch, which exposed her upper arms. Her pants had garters added into them. She also wore black gloves.

They stared back.

‘I’m not sure what’s going on, but it has to be important.’

“What’s important is _Jimmy_ decided to bring a bunch of sentient _garbage_ to Vale.” Qrow hissed.

The older Schnee glared coldly at Qrow.

“I have no time for your childish games, Qrow.” 

“So what you’re saying is that you’re fine with scaring Vale with these damn ships?”

“We are in the middle of-”

“No need to destroy my eardrums, Ice Queen.” Qrow lazily shot back.

_This might get out of hand._

‘Qrow. And um, We-’

“Winter Schnee.” 

Qrow snickered like a child, “Ice Queen is her _actual_ name.”

“If you don’t hold your tongue, I’ll-” 

‘Both of you. Be quiet.’

Qrow thankfully stopped. 

‘Stop wasting time! Ozpin wants to talk to me, and I’m guessing that you’re both involved.’

The two adults shared a look.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” Qrow said with a dismissive wave.

As they walked towards the school, Winter spoke up.

“So _this_ is the boy Weiss wrote about in her letters.”

_She wrote about me?_

‘Yes, I’m Link Dorephan. It’s nice to meet you.’

Winter gave him a curt nod.

“I wish to thank you for taking interest in my sister.”

_Interest? Does she mean-_

“That is not what I _meant._ ”

“ _Obviously,_ the mini Ice Queen is head over heels for my niece.” Qrow said with a fond but goofy smile.

“Excuse me? Must I teach you _respect,_ you drunkard?” Winter snapped.

“Hey, hey, I’m a _functioning_ drunk. There’s a difference!”

 _I swear if they start fighting._

Link sighed. He ignored their endless bickering and marched to Beacon Academy. The boy turned around, waiting for them to catch up.

The trio made it to Ozpin’s office in record time. Link was met with Ms. Goodwitch, Ironwood and Ozpin. 

“You’re ten minutes late.” Ironwood groused.

“My apologies, sir.” Winter said as she saluted him.

“It’s not _my_ fault that Ice Queen is trigger happy.”

“ _You’re_ the one who tried to provoke me!” Winter accused.

“Well, _excuse_ me, princess!” Qrow replied.

“You were going to attack me!”

Link watched them argue.

“ _Schnee!_ ” Ironwood called, somewhat frustrated.

“While I wouldn’t _condone_ his behavior, I don’t believe you should react so strongly to him. You might end up fighting. _Again._ ” Ms. Goodwitch noted.

“He was drunk!” 

“He’s _always_ drunk!” Ms. Goodwitch countered.

The five of them stared at Qrow as he drank from his flask. His dull red eyes widened as he was caught red handed. He pulled the flask away from his mouth with a grimace.

Ozpin stared at Qrow with disbelief. His expression changed as a tender smile danced on his lips. The headmaster tore his gaze away from Qrow. 

Chocolate brown locked with azure blue. 

The steaming mug that rested in Ozpin’s hands was placed on his desk. The man clasped his hands together. Whether it was in prayer or distraught, Link wasn’t sure.

“I believe that we should focus on more _pressing_ matters than Qrow’s drinking habits.” Ozpin calmly announced. 

The man’s gaze flickered to Ironwood, then Winter, in a silent request. Ironwood motioned towards the door as he called Winter’s name. Before she exited Ozpin’s office, she gave the general a salute.

With Winter’s departure came a tense air. It spoke of an approaching disaster that coiled around the room, including the people inside. It was incredibly heavy and foreboding.

“It has come to my attention that Cinder Fall and her friends, supposed transfer students have unfinished business in Vale.” Ozpin said, as if he was discussing the weather.

Link continued to listen. He turned to Qrow as the man picked up for Ozpin.

“I’m not going to sugar coat this. Cinder Fall wants the rest of the Fall Maiden’s power.”

Link’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_Fall Maiden?_

“Seeing how you are still unfamiliar with Remnant, I will not go into extensive detail. The Fall Maiden is one of the four Maidens who possess tremendous powers _without_ the use of Dust or a Semblance.” Ozpin noted.

‘Magic.’

“Yes, magic.” 

“The issue at hand, however, is that a Maiden’s power can be transferred to the next candidate once they die.” Ironwood added.

‘This is a problem because?’

“It _just_ so happens that the process is stupid.” Qrow said with an almost annoyed groan.

“ _Qrow._ ” Ms. Goodwitch firmly reprimanded. 

“Don’t get mad ‘cause I’m right, Glynda.”

“Essentially, when a Maiden dies, the last person in her thoughts are chosen as the next host.” Ozpin cut in.

“Men and older women are excluded, leaving the next host to be picked randomly.” Ms. Goodwitch replied.

“Our current Fall Maiden was attacked and nearly killed by Cinder Fall. _That_ is _one_ of our building problems.” Qrow revealed.

‘Should I try to stop Cinder?’

“Are you insane? She has _half_ of the Fall Maiden’s power!” Ironwood exclaimed.

‘So what’s the point of you telling me this?’

“To _warn_ you, Link.” Ozpin responded gravely.

The headmaster stood up from his seat. He took his mug and cane in his hands. The gray haired man walked towards the elevator. The doors opened once he pressed a button. 

“Come.” Ozpin called to the group.

They entered the elevator. Link felt a little antsy. 

_Why are they telling me this? If they don’t want me to stop Cinder, then what’s the purpose of this?_

Link was half aware of the dings that came from the elevator. He was too absorbed in his mounting thoughts. 

Qrow lightly tapped his shoulder. The man led him out the elevator. 

The five of them traversed through a large, sparsely lit hallway. The trek was filled with mind numbing silence. 

Link froze once they reached the end of the hallway. 

Electricity hummed around the room. A large machine with lit screens was placed in the center of the room. It was hooked up to two rectangular pods, one of which was upright. Inside was a young woman dressed in a white tube top and skirt. Burn scars marred her light brown face. 

The woman had shoulder length, straight brown hair.

 _What the fuck is this?_

Link’s fingers twitched. His eyes darted from the comatose woman to Ozpin. The boy took a step back.

The Hylian dug his fingers into his hair as he took three sharp breaths.

“This is the Fall Maiden, Amber.” Ozpin whispered.

‘What happened?’

“Let’s just say Cinder wanted Amber’s power for herself.” Qrow answered.

‘Qrow. How exactly did she end up like this?’

“Cinder and her teenage goons ambushed her. Cinder stole half of her power, as well.” Qrow halfheartedly responded.

‘Is there really nothing I can do?’

“Can you seek out a willing candidate?” Ms. Goodwitch proposed.

‘What.’

“No one has seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it could find its other half. In other words-” Ironwood noted.

‘You want to transfer the power.’

“Yes, that is exactly-” Ozpin began.

‘You want me to have someone possibly give up their life just to make sure Cinder doesn’t have the Maiden powers. For what?’

“A war.” Ozpin answered. 

‘What war?!’

“A war as old as time, Link.” Ms. Goodwitch replied.

‘Why don’t people know about her? About this war?’

“Why do you _think,_ Link?” Qrow snapped.

_It would cause mass panic, wouldn’t it? I swear to Hylia._

‘Alright. Explain, then.’ 

“In the world of Remnant lies an ancient evil. It is a greater threat than the Grimm, than _Cinder_. Once it rears its ugly head to the peace we’ve enjoyed for years, it will cause mass hysteria across the entire world. Countless Huntsmen, Huntresses, Maidens and _special_ warriors have failed, time and time again to defeat it. It has come to a point where my inner circle are the only ones to actively track and create methods to stop it.” Ozpin explained.

“This evil? The Queen, or _Salem._ ” Qrow finished, taking a swig of his flask.

_So Remnant has its own Ganon. Neat. Wonderful. Great._

“Now that you’ve shown up, Salem _and_ Cinder have become more active.” Ironwood added.

“It is rather worrying, to say the least.” Ms. Goodwitch murmured.

‘Does Salem want me dead?’

Ozpin sighed heavily. 

“No, and I am _sure_ that you know why. You have your own legends and fairytales, correct?” Ozpin asked. 

An accordian playing an age old song filled his head.

**A goddess-blood princess and a fearless knight,**  
**They appear in each age to fight the good fight.**

‘I’m not going to scout for Cinder’s next victim. What I will do is fight Salem.’

All of the adults raised their eyebrows. 

Link turned on his heel and left the vault.

* * *

Cinder strolled around the fairgrounds, searching for Mercury and Emerald. She instantly spotted them. The two teenagers laughed along with the two teams. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Cinder scoffed under her breath as she watched their smiling, happy grins.

The woman found a secluded area and opened her Scroll. She checked the Vytal Tournament and its fighters with an evil grin. 

**‘Next Round: Team Battle!’**

**‘Team JNPR vs RHJM’**  
**‘---- vs ----’**  
**‘---- vs ----’**  
**‘---- vs ----’**

Cinder hacked into the tournament, changing the fighters.

**Next Round: Team Battle!**

**Team ~~JNPR~~ vs RHJM**

**Team CNEM vs RHJM**

**Leader of team RHJM, ####.**

**####’s Semblance: N/A**

**Second member of RHJM, #####.**

**#####’s Semblance: Fast-casting.**

**Third member of RHJM, #####.**

**#####’s Semblance: Projection.**

**Fourth member of RHJM, ####.**

**####’s Semblance: Healing Chef.**

Cinder smirked at the information she gained. It wasn’t much, but she doubted this team would stand a chance against them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give this work some kudos and comments.


	34. Road Taken (Roar!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercury and Emerald bond with team RWBY and JNPR.
> 
> Team CNEM fight against team RHJM.
> 
> Emerald and Mercury rebel.

Link spent the whole ride back pondering. He stewed in anger and disbelief. His eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the window. The boy let out a long sigh.

_I can’t tell anyone this, that much is obvious. I will definitely not tell RWBY, Pyrrha or Nora about the Maidens._

Thinking of Amber made his heart lurch. He felt _sick._

_I have to find Salem. I don’t even know where to look. Could I ask Emerald or Mercury? I shouldn’t._

Link shook his head.

The Air Bus landed near the fairgrounds. Link got off. He noticed his friends walking and talking. They spotted him and waved him over. Link glanced at the female members with guilt. 

Ms. Goodwitch’s voice filled his head. _Find a willing candidate._

“There’s the Link I know.” Mercury joked.

‘Huh?’

“You’re scowling like someone just pissed in your cereal.” Mercury replied.

Yang hollered with laughter. She firmly gripped Mercury’s shoulder in an attempt to stay upright. Weiss scrunched up her face in disgust, while Ruby snorted, trying not to laugh. Blake rolled her eyes. 

Nora high fived Mercury. 

“You could have used _any_ other phrase, but you chose the most disgusting one.” Emerald complained. 

“I did nothing wrong, stop _bullying_ me!” Mercury whined. 

Emerald and Mercury started bickering like siblings. Ruby chuckled softly, stopping the duo. Emerald cleared her throat and apologized.

“Anyway! What’s got you so angry, Link?” Yang asked.

The boy must have scowled again, because Mercury let out a breathy laugh. 

‘Ozpin wants me to go on a mission. Alone.’

“Alone?! Why?” Ruby asked in alarm.

“Does he have that much faith in you?” Blake asked a second later.

‘I’ll tell you later, don’t worry.’

Link would _never_ tell them the truth. So, he changed the topic.

‘Are you guys excited for the next round?’

Ruby cheered. Weiss watched her with a fond smile.

“Yes! I can’t wait to fight other people! It’s going to be _so_ cool.” Ruby exclaimed. The grin she wore was absolutely adorable. Her silver eyes sparkled with joy.

“Yeah! Bashin’ heads in are _great_!” Nora yelled.

“If I was an alcoholic, I’d drink to that.” Mercury said with a slight laugh.

“Nora! No bashing heads in, that’s bad! Mercury, don’t agree with her!” Jaune wailed in a half scolding manner. He waved his arms to convey his point.

“But that’s _boring! _Fighting isn’t supposed to snore.” Yang said, cracking a grin.__

Jaune sighed. Despite his disapproval, he smiled with them.

‘It’s good to be excited about this. It’s your first tournament, right?’

“Yes, as a team, this will be our first tournament.” Weiss answered.

“Mhm! It’s gonna be great!” Ruby added.

Link felt the same way. The tournament served as a distraction from his nightmares, from _everything._ He still wasn’t sure how to grieve. He never had the time. Regaining his memory and saving Hyrule was more important. 

Even now, he barely showed his vulnerability to others. It was such a bad habit.

“Oh no, he’s moping. Everyone, commence the group hug tactic!” Nora screeched, snapping Link out of his musings.

‘I’m alright! There’s no need-’

Link made a small, choked noise as Nora and Yang tackled him. The rest of the group followed suit, hugging him tightly. The Hylian laughed under his breath. A content smile formed on his face.

They let go a moment later.

“Does this have to do with your mission?” Blake asked.

‘No, not really. I was just reflecting.’

“If you don’t mind me asking, what were you thinking about?” Pyrrha inquired in a concerned tone.

‘It’s nothing big, but it’s something you all might have noticed.’

The group waited for him to continue. Each and every person looked worried. Link was surprised to see that Emerald and Mercury seemed to feel the same way. Genuine distraught colored Emerald’s face. Mercury’s eyes shone with vague worry. He snuffed it out within seconds.

‘It’s nothing to worry about, really. I just have a very hard time opening up. Talking about my issues aren’t something I’m used to.’

“Issues?” Mercury echoed.

The gray haired boy sounded curious, yet his voice was off. His tone was incredulous, almost _mocking._ Link felt uncomfortable.

Mercury parted his lips, as if he wanted to say something. A dark look crossed his pale face. His gray eyes were glazed over in an emotion Link could barely recognize. Once he caught the _murderous_ and disbelieving look, Link’s fingers twitched. He stopped himself from trembling. Mercury schooled his features, wearing a neutral expression. 

The only other person to notice was Emerald. She didn’t say a thing.

‘Yeah. I only mentioned them.’

“Linky, you can tell us everything, you know?” Nora said in a comforting tone. 

“Nah, that’s too much pressure.” Yang commented.

“Instead, why don’t we _all_ share?” Weiss suggested.

Mercury let out a sharp laugh.

“Talking about our fucking feelings? Sounds _great._ ” Mercury snapped.

“You don’t have to-” Ren began.

“You goody-two shoes don’t know _anything_ about pain.” Mercury hissed.

The boy looked proud. He seemed to relish in the tense, hurt silence he created. Mercury wore a mocking smirk on his face. It was quickly wiped off his face once Ruby mumbled.

Regret briefly painted his face when Ruby started to _cry._

“That’s not true!” Ruby cried. The small girl hiccuped as tears slid down her face.

The leader of team RWBY shakily told the duo about her mother. The rest of the group relayed their own pasts to Emerald and Mercury. Link didn’t share.

The duo froze.

“Why would- how,” Emerald struggled to speak, trying desperately not to cry, “why do you guys trust us _this_ much? You shouldn’t, you can’t.”

“We’re friends, duh.” Yang replied with a soft smile.

Emerald jolted. She looked away in shame.

“I guess I can open up, too. My mom didn’t like my Semblance. She had a mental breakdown when I used it, so I ran away.” Emerald whispered.

_Is that why she looks so guilty whenever she uses her Semblance?_

“Well, I like your Semblance.” Ruby said softly.

“I _hurt_ people with it. I hurt you. _I_ made you-”

“Nope.” Ruby replied.

“What do you mean, ‘nope?’” Emerald asked in _pure_ confusion.

“Nope.” Jaune echoed.

“I don’t understand-”

“Use your Semblance on me!” Ruby ordered, pointing at Emerald.

“ _Why?!_ ” Emerald shrieked in horror.

“Use it on me, too!” Nora said with an excited giggle.

“I believe that Ruby wants to prove to you that you’re a good person.” Weiss noted.

“No, my plans! You ruined them!” Ruby wailed.

“I- okay. Okay. I’ll do it, but-”

“No buts, just let it happen. Relax.” Nora soothed the nervous girl.

Ruby’s eyes glazed over. A dopey yet cheerful grin was on her face. She hummed quietly as she bopped her head.

“Rainbow monkeys, Rainbow monkeys.” Ruby sang.

Yang burst out laughing. The sound of Yang’s laughter was contagious. 

Emerald deactivated her Semblance. Ruby pouted.

“Dang it, I was _so_ close to being friends with a white Rainbow monkey! Emerald, _why?_ ” Ruby squeaked in annoyance.

“White Rainbow monkey, huh?” Yang teased, wiggling her eyebrows. The blonde glanced at Weiss before returning her gaze to Ruby.

“Um! Yeah, you know, just a regular white monkey, _yeah._ ” Ruby trailed off, completely red in the face. 

Ruby pat her cheeks. She sighed, calming herself down. Kind and determined silver eyes met anxious blood red.

“Your Semblance isn’t _bad._ It’s not scary, or evil! _You_ aren’t a monster! You’re our friend, who just so happens to have an amazing Semblance! Speaking of it, how does it work?” Ruby explained. She rambled on, trying to figure out how Emerald’s Semblance worked.

Emerald cried. For a moment, it was quiet. The girl’s breath hitched. She let out tiny hiccups. 

Emerald _sobbed._

“ _Thank_ you.” Emerald stuttered.

The group _immediately_ hugged her.

Once they let go, nine pairs of eyes landed on Mercury.

“One of us, one of us!” Nora chanted.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be so forward, but we’d like to know about you, too, Mercury.” Pyrrha said.

“It’s better if you know nothing about me. Unlike this crybaby,” he glanced at Emerald with a warm smile; it vanished in a second, “I _am_ a monster.”

“A monster? If you’re a monster, why would you spend time with us?” Ren calmly asked.

“Yeah! I don’t see a monster when I look at you-” Jaune began.

“You should.” Mercury coldly cut in.

‘If you firmly believe that you are a monster, then I’m one, too.’

“What?” Mercury hissed.

The gray haired boy _slowly_ strolled over to Link. The way he walked reminded the Hylian of a predator, slinking and ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Mercury tightly grabbed onto Link’s collar. He slid his left hand up to the boy’s neck. Link tried not to swallow. 

“I could have killed you the second Cinder gave the word. It would have been _easy._ ” Mercury whispered.

Link suppressed a shiver. He fearlessly stared at Mercury. The gray haired boy raised an eyebrow.

‘Would you kill me, now? Would it still be easy for you?’

Mercury let go of Link’s collar.

“No.” Mercury admitted.

Link smiled brightly at him.

‘You aren’t a monster, at all.’

“Whatever.” Mercury deflected. 

“Uh, guys, _what_ was that?” Jaune exclaimed in alarm.

“Why did you vaguely threaten him?” Blake asked in a somewhat judgmental manner.

_Right, Blake has great hearing._

“Linky! How were you so calm about that?” Nora asked.

“So many questions.” Mercury noted.

“I think that stunt was Mercury speak for ‘I’m stupid enough to prove a point that no one thinks is true.’” Emerald answered for Mercury.

“Hey! I’m not stupid, _stupid_!” Mercury shot back.

“Way to go, you learned how to insult people.” Emerald said. Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

“Tell us, Mercury.” Ren added softly. He disrupted the teasing fest, swiftly getting back on topic. 

“ _Fine._ Judge me all you want-”

“We won’t.” Nora reassured him.

“Emerald said it. I’m a butcher. An assassin. Dear old _dad_ never gave me a choice to be a kid, only a killer.”

Silence.

“Well? You gonna _hate_ or pity me, now?”

Mercury sounded _scared._ It was hard to pick up, as it was covered with sarcasm.

The silence grew.

“Say something, already!” Mercury hissed.

His voice was slightly shaky. Nervous. 

_Well, fuck._

Link stared at Mercury. The gray haired boy bristled like an agitated cat. 

‘Would you like a hug?’

“You think a goddamn _hug_ will-”

Link carefully approached him. He noticed how _tense_ Mercury was. The short Hylian wrapped his arms around the taller boy. The gray haired boy stood still. 

Seconds slowly ticked by. 

Mercury hugged him back. Link _swore_ that he heard the boy sniffle.

‘Don’t be ashamed of crying.’

The taller boy cursed under his breath. He made a choked noise when a tear ran down his face. Mercury furiously wiped it away. 

He started to shake as he sobbed. It was _loud._ Angry. Pained. 

“ _Fuck-_ I can’t, I can’t _breathe,_ why- I don’t _get_ this. Why the _hell_ would you ever care about _us_?”

The group decided that words wouldn’t help, so they settled for another massive hug session.

Minutes passed. Mercury was still teary eyed. 

“Can we have a toast to bad parenting?” Yang asked, half joking, half serious.

“With ice cream?” Ruby questioned.

“Ice cream?” Mercury echoed.

“Yeah! Well, um, since you said you never had a childhood, I thought, uh- ice cream!” Ruby timidly explained.

“Sure.” Mercury responded.

 _Everyone_ marveled at the look of pure joy on Mercury’s face. 

The piercing sound of a buzzer and a nasally voice filled the air.

“Participants of the Vytal Festival Tournament, please return to the arena for the next round.”

Mercury slouched in disappointment. He pouted and huffed.

“I wanted ice cream.” Mercury complained.

The group giggled like children, after they sobered up, Ruby pat his shoulder.

* * *

“Welcome back to the _greatest_ tournament in the world!” Professor Port announced.

“Yes, yes! Before we get into the next round, we will go over the results of the previous matches.” Professor Oobleck commented.

The highest scores were displayed on the screens as the professors read aloud.

‘Jaune Arc - 90 points!  
Link Dorephan - 87 points!  
Ruby Rose - 85 points!  
Cinder Fall - 81 points!  
_Pewdiepie_ \- 78 points!  
_K-Rod_ \- 77 points!  
Arin H. - 69 points!'

“As for the leaders who are not on display, worry not! Most of you made it to this round!” Professor Port exclaimed with joy.

“Speaking of rounds, there will be four battles! Each match of this round will be in teams. A classic yet chaotic four versus four round, I must say!” Professor Oobleck rapidly shouted. 

“Our first match of the day is - oh, it has been changed? My apologies, viewers! Teams CNEM and RHJM, please make your way to the arena.”

The two teams arrived at the arena. The battleground was again split into two biomes. Large dry grasslands on the left, and an ocean with a shipwrecked beach on the right.

Team CNEM included Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, as well as an incredibly short woman. The woman had long black pigtails with light gray streaks. Her bangs were parted to the right. Her eyes were green. 

She wore two white bows. The woman wore an outfit with a black and white color scheme. A black sleeveless black blouse with white frills. A black ribbon bow hung from the front of her collar. The blouse exposed her midriff. The woman also wore a knee-length skirt with a white belt. The outfit was completed with black shoes, armbands and white leggings.

The other team looked ridiculous but it seemed to work for them. 

The male team leader had short golden brown hair. His bangs were swept to the left. He had sky blue eyes. The boy wore a yellow baby chick hat. It had two black buttons for eyes and an orange beak. It came with a suit. The material resembled feathers.

The boy carried a ceramic dagger with blue engravings. The handle was dark blue. He made a rapid stabbing motion in the air. His teammates laughed hard.

The boy´s second in command was female. Her pale pink hair stopped at her cheekbones. She had green-blue eyes. The girl wore a long black leather robe with wide sleeves. The sleeves were rolled and pinned up to her upper arms, revealing peanut brown wings on her forearms. Some of the flight feathers were pitch black. A typical silk witch hat was on her head. The hat matched the color of her robe. It had a brown band, pinned by a winged helmet-visor brooch. It was sky blue and white. 

A brown wand was in her right hand.

The third member was an interesting sight. The boy had short dark brown hair. His bangs were swept up and somewhat combed over. His chocolate brown eyes were wide like a child’s. His lips were curved like a kitten. He had a small birthmark below his left eye. 

On top of his head was a strikingly _large_ bow. The baby blue bow was dotted with white polka-dots. His thigh-length dress shared the same color and design. The top half of the dress was heart shaped and thin. The bottom half was puffy and frilly. It included a long, ruffled tail that went past his bare knees. It also followed the color scheme. He wore white elbow-length silk gloves with blue bands at the wrists. He managed to maintain his balance, despite wearing medium heels. 

The boy twirled a microphone in his left hand. The grill was covered by a cylinder shaped sleeve. It was rainbow colored with white music notes. The purple body resembled a carrot. The battery cover had a gold orb attached to it. A yellow ribbon was wrapped around it.

Team RHJM’s last member was also male. The boy was rather slim. Part of his short chocolate brown hair had a fringe. His eyes were blue. He wore a traditional white chef hat and uniform. A blood red neckerchief was loosely tied around his neck. Yellow squiggly words were stitched onto it. 

The boy firmly gripped a frying pan in his hands.

Their names were displayed on screen. Ross O’D. Holly C. Jimmy W. Matt W. 

Jimmy spun in place, outstretching his arms. He winked at Mercury. In response, the boy rolled his eyes. Jimmy tugged on on Ross’ chick suit.

“How dare he not accept my affection! Ross, this is _terrible_!” Jimmy whined.

Ross snickered.

“Maybe if you sing, he’ll love you.” Ross suggested with a devilish grin.

“ _Yes_! I’ma _roast_ you on this mic, _bitch_!” Jimmy yelled in a low pitch. He held the swear for two seconds. 

Matt and Holly exploded with laughter once they saw the look on Mercury’s face. The boy rose an eyebrow. A puzzled expression was on his face. 

“Alright, Holls! Burst Catapult!” Ross ordered.

Holly spread her wings and flew one foot into the air. Ross grabbed a hold of her left ankle. The pink haired girl swung her leg back and forth. Her wand glowed red. The signature crackle of fire was heard. Mercury narrowed his eyes. He held back a flinch.

Fire erupted from the tip. It weaved into the shape of a bird. Holly waved her wand around, then pointed it towards Cinder. The flames hurled itself to Cinder, flapping its wings. The woman created a fireball in the palm of her hand. It drastically increased in size. Cinder’s flame devoured the tiny bird-like fire with ease. Holly gasped and cursed under her breath.

Cinder glanced at Emerald. The mint haired girl threw the kusarigamas at Holly’s feet, in an attempt to drag her down. Holly was unable to quickly fly any higher because of Ross.

Holly kicked her left leg as hard as she could. Ross let go, leaping above Mercury. The brown haired boy aimed the dagger at Mercury’s head. The young assassin backflipped. Ross charged at Mercury, precisely digging the short blade into the boy’s right shoulder. Mercury grunted. 

“Is that _all_ you got, or are you scared of spilling blood?” Mercury mocked with a smirk.

Ross didn’t reply.

Mercury fired several shots from his boots as he kicked Ross in the stomach. Ross tumbled into the grass. He got up with a groan. Mercury looked mildly impressed. 

“Jimmy! Sing!” Ross yelled.

Jimmy winked to his audience. The boy hummed into the mic, trying to find a nice, calming rhythm. The opposing team was momentarily distracted. Emerald’s grip on her weapons loosened, causing Holly to escape. Ross ran up to Mercury, trying to stab him. The assassin dodged the attack. 

“You aren’t gonna land another hit on me.” Mercury said.

“Doesn’t matter! I’m too stubborn to care.” Ross nonchalantly shot back.

Jimmy all but _screamed_ into his microphone. Both teams were hurt by the piercing sound. Ross rapidly shook his head before going in for another attack. Mercury kicked him twice. One in the ribs, and one in the chest. Both kicks were _heavy._ Lethal, almost. 

Ross gagged and choked as he fell onto the grass.

“Ross!” Holly called in alarm.

“‘M good.” Ross slurred. The accent he had got thicker. 

“Matt, if you don’t heal him _right now,_ you have to say _it._ ” Holly warned. 

Despite receiving no damage whatsoever, Matt cooked something up and healed _himself._

Jimmy sent a heated, angry glare to Matt. The taller boy shrugged.

“What was _that_ about, Matt? What. _The._ Fuck?!”

“Okay, look, I didn’t want to waste my ingredients!”

“What do you _mean_ ingredients?! They literally come from your lousy ass!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t take that tone with me, young man!” Matt snarked.

“Guys, now isn’t the time to argue!” Holly said. 

The two boys nodded.

“Emerald, use your Semblance.” Cinder demanded.

Emerald froze up. She stared at the other team. Mercury gave her a reassuring look.

“You don’t have to show them something bad, you know.” Mercury whispered.

Emerald nodded stiffly. The girl activated her Semblance. She pushed herself as she affected the whole team. Emerald hissed in pain, holding her head. She dug her fingers into her hair. Her face scrunched up in agony.

Cinder completely ignored her. Mercury pat her shoulder, giving small praises. Mercury and Emerald watched as the other team had a massive giggle fit.

“Bah! Bobby!”

“I _can’t_ breathe!”

They squealed and shouted, laughing until the team nearly went silent. A few monotone chuckles escaped Ross. 

Mercury finished the job he started. A swift kick to the head knocked Ross out. The boy screeched before he went unconscious. The remaining members snapped out of it.

“ _No! No_!” Jimmy wailed in a defeated tone. He held the words for a few short seconds.

“Wha-” Mercury began to taunt.

Mercury held back a wince at Jimmy’s distraught face. Angry tears ran down his face.

“ _Back._ Back, _bitch_! Stay _back,_ Mercury! _Mercury._ ” Jimmy growled out.

The sweet pitch of Jimmy’s voice vanished. It seemed to go _lower_ as he got angrier. It was almost guttural.

“Uh, I didn’t mean to do that?” Mercury lied.

“Didn’t mean to do that?! You kicked him in the _head_!” Jimmy ranted. 

“Mercury, finish them off.” Cinder ordered. The woman didn’t bother to look at him.

“This is so _fucked._ ” Jimmy whispered.

“Jimmy, get a hold of yourself! Go after Emerald!” Holly yelled.

Jimmy took a deep breath. He charged towards the mint haired girl. The boy whacked her with his microphone. He sang, making Holly spring into action. Her wand glowed and flashed yellow. Sparks of electricity crackled and rumbled around the wand. Holly waved her right hand in a cloud and lightning bolt motion. Yellow lightning crashed onto the ground. It immediately sought out Mercury. It traveled quickly. The lightning shocked the rest of the team. Holly whooped and high fived Jimmy. 

“Matt, _go_!” Jimmy called.

Matt stared blankly at the electrified team. 

From the stands, two voices were heard.

“Ryan, that’s not the real Matt!” 

“What are you- hey!”

A boy jumped from the stands, landing right in the middle of the arena. He looked exactly like Matt. Instead of a chef outfit, the boy wore black glasses, a red t-shirt and tan jeans. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Matt pointed at his clone.

The t-shirt wearing Matt shot the other Matt in the head. The chef fell onto the ground with a thud. Ryan started hyperventilating. Jimmy panicked. Holly looked away with tears in her eyes. 

“You just shot our friend!” Jimmy exclaimed.

“Why are there two Matts?!” Holly yelled as she dug her hands into her hair. She frantically looked at Matt, who laid on bloody grass, then to the other Matt.

“Look, I overslept and-”

“That has _nothing_ to do with the fact that you shot yourself!”

Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out an exasperated sigh. 

“That wasn’t the _real_ Matt.”

“How would you even know that?” Jimmy asked in a hostile manner.

“Does he drink tea every morning?” Matt asked.

“He likes coffee.” Holly responded.

Matt called Ryan over. The boy in question had long black hair tied into a low bun. He wore a cap, blue jeans and a muted green-blue t-shirt. He had a beard. 

“Yeah, uh, the Matt I know is a little bitch for tea.”

“I’m not a little bitch, Ryan! You asshole, take that back, you fucker!”

“I can’t take back the _truth,_ Twatson!”

“That’s not my last name, Mcfucknuts!” Matt shrieked. 

Team CNEM stared at the chaotic scene. Cinder grinned. Panic and fear was _good._ The stands were silent. Terrified. 

Emerald was uncomfortable. Mercury didn’t seem to react. The black haired girl looked giddy. 

Matt unleashed a loud, high pitch scream. Ryan rapidly spoke over him. 

Cinder tapped the black haired girl. She nodded and activated her Semblance. The team gasped as Cinder walked towards them. Holly and Jimmy tried to attack her, but missed each time. The woman slowly raised her left hand towards the four teenagers. A massive fire swirled around her hand. It barreled towards her opponents. They couldn’t dodge it. 

Mercury and Emerald ran up to the frozen team. Mercury kicked Jimmy’s waist. The boy was knocked into Holly. Emerald slashed at Matt and Ryan with her sickles.

The four students were pushed out of the ring.

Pink and brown eyes coyly stared at the team. 

Team CNEM watched Matt and Ryan argue. Jimmy seemed disappointed while Holly was confused.

“The winner is team CNEM!” Professor Port announced.

“The next match is between Beacon’s prodigies, team RWBY and a very popular team from Haven Academy!” Professor Oobleck exclaimed.

* * *

The remaining fights came to an end. Cinder was pleased at the panic that foolish boy created. She already forgot his name. Something with a ‘M.’ What _truly_ mattered was the results of that match. The crowd went from laughing and cheering to eerily silent in a second. Cinder wasn’t expecting this chaos to happen so early, but it was satisfying. Seeing the color drain from their faces. The pin drop silence. 

It was all according to plan.

However, there was a growing thorn at her side. Emerald and Mercury. 

Cinder’s face scrunched up in distaste and annoyance. They have been getting closer to those teams, she sourly thought.

The woman had warned Emerald. She warned them both. Those idiotic optimists would _never_ accept them. A killer and a thief? Two criminals? There was simply no way those children would overlook that. 

It seemed like her own associates were mind numbingly stupid, as well. She saw the hope in Emerald’s eyes. She saw how _relaxed_ Mercury was.

Cinder called them. 

Minutes passed. The duo arrived at team CNEM’s break room. They both carried ice cream in their hands. Mercury had a bowl of three different flavors. Salted caramel pretzel, vanilla and cheesecake. It was topped with rainbow sprinkles and bits of cookie dough. Emerald had a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. 

Cinder raised an eyebrow. Mercury did the same.

“What?” Mercury asked.

Cinder sighed and shook her head.

“I’ve noticed that you have been disobeying my orders. Neither of you are here to make _friends,_ especially now.”

Emerald looked petrified for a moment. 

“I’m sor-”

“That’s a lie, Emerald, and you _know_ I despise liars.” 

Cinder’s eyes began to glow.

Emerald stopped speaking.

“Do you at _least_ have any information on those brats?”

Emerald choked. Mercury stared at her. He whispered to her. Whatever he said made her flinch. Her blood red eyes frantically stared at Cinder. 

Unbeknownst to Cinder, Emerald used her Semblance.

A more confident and cunning Emerald stood before her. Next to her was Mercury, who looked disinterested. 

“Yes, ma’am, we do. Those happy go lucky idiots-”

Emerald’s voice fizzled out like static. The girl’s mouth still moved, as if she was still speaking.

The real Emerald and Mercury walked out of the room. The girl was jittery. Her movements were shaky and uncoordinated. She struggled to breathe. On the outside, Mercury didn’t seem worried. But he was. He was terrified for Emerald. From the second he met her, she was _absolutely_ loyal to Cinder.

And now?

Emerald crossed another line. He did, too.

Can’t say he regret it.

“I can’t believe I just did that!” Emerald whispered, afraid that Cinder could overhear.

They were _well_ out of earshot.

“Color me surprised. You’re rebelling against our _lovely_ mom.” Mercury teased. 

Mercury changed his tune once Emerald winced.

“Let’s just go back to our-” Mercury paused. 

Were they friends? They weren’t targets. Or hits. Or even enemies at this point. After reluctantly pouring their hearts out, the two teams actually _cared._ They didn’t see Mercury and Emerald as tools. They didn’t give them praises, only to beat them down for making a _tiny_ mistake. 

Not like Cinder. 

He thought about it. Without any hesitation, he continued.

“Friends.”


	35. More the Merrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the Fall Maiden, Amber was attacked by Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. 
> 
> In the present, Link hangs out with his friends, only to return to Ozpin's office. He learns something shocking.

“I don’t _understand_ , Cin-” Emerald began. A complaint was on the tip of her tongue.

Cinder scowled at her, itching to hit the girl for her disrespect. 

“ _Ma’am._ ” Cinder corrected.

Mercury rolled his eyes.

“Ma’am makes you sound _old._ ” Mercury noted.

Cinder held back an angry retort. This was the _first_ time the boy actually said more than one or two words. Instead of praising him, she ignored him.

“Emerald, what do you not understand?” Cinder asked. 

It was phrased as a demand.

Emerald looked away from Cinder. She apparently found the forest they were walking through more important. The woman began to grow impatient. 

Emerald seemed a bit nervous. Her eyes shifted around, completely avoiding Cinder. The woman hid her irritation.

“Spit it out, girl.” Cinder hissed through clenched teeth. 

Emerald flinched.

“Sorry, Ci- _ma’am._ ”

Cinder didn’t respond. She waited for the girl to speak again. It took an agonizing eight seconds.

“Why are we recruiting a crime lord and a Faunus terrorist? It was fine when it was just us.” Emerald mumbled.

“Why do you question every single thing I do?” 

Cinder gave the girl something she _longed_ for. A family. Was she not happy? Was she not thankful? Those questions didn’t matter to her. ~~The teenager from long ago would’ve cared. A motherless, broken girl would have understood.~~ All Cinder needed to do was exploit Emerald’s desire for a loving, kind family. Shower her with insincere praises. Cinder could do that. Everything _else_ , such as loving and nurturing her? Cinder had no reason to be a mother-figure to a child. Emerald was _already_ attached. It was annoying, but soon, the girl would be loyal to her. Only her. 

Like a pawn.

A unquestioning, doubtless _pawn._

“I just don’t see the point of this.” Emerald meekly answered. 

“The _point_ is to obey me.” Cinder said in a soft, patient tone.

Or so she thought. Mercury snorted, picking up on the sinister and sharp tone that Cinder tried to hide.

Emerald nodded. 

“If you continue to question me, it will only end up disappointing me. You don’t want that, do you?” Cinder scolded as if Emerald was a young child.

It was a threat. If the girl decided to question her every move, her every word, Cinder would _not_ be disappointed. Oh, _no._ If she had to beat the girl into submission, she _would._ Just not now. 

The girl was incredibly _useful._ Her Semblance was powerful, but the girl was afraid of using it. Pity. Cinder needed the girl to use it _today._ If the girl refused, they would fail the mission. The woman had no intention of upsetting Salem. 

Cinder and her _minions_ had to kill Amber and take her power. It seemed easy enough. A trained assassin, a mind-bending thief and a ~~power hungry glutton~~ Salem’s second in command versus one woman? There was no way Amber would survive. 

The trio continued to walk deeper into the forest. The single pathway they started on eventually vanished, turning into fresh moss and grass. They heard the sound of clopping hooves. Cinder had to roughly yank Emerald behind a tree.

They watched a lone white horse slowly trotting through the dreary forest. A green cloaked rider with minimal golden armor was on its back. The rider wore an off-white blouse with a brown vest, corset and pants. The person had the hood up.

_This_ was the Fall Maiden, Amber.

Cinder smirked. It slightly fell when she glanced at Emerald. The mint haired girl could interfere with the mission.

“Emerald, if you use your Semblance, just this once, I will be _so_ proud of you.” Cinder cooed. Cinder faked a reassuring, soft smile.

Cinder bit back the disgust in her tone. She wouldn’t be _proud_ of her. Emerald simply had to follow her orders.

“I can’t!” Emerald whispered back. 

Cinder did her best to hide her scowl.

“ _Emerald._ ” Cinder warned.

“Okay, I’ll try.” Emerald said. 

The girl took a shaky breath. She hugged her arms. The girl’s nails dug into her skin. Unshed tears were in her panicked blood red eyes. 

As the horse and its rider came closer, Emerald used her Semblance. The mint haired girl pictured a crying little girl. Amber pulled on the reigns, stopping her horse. She dismounted the horse and walked forward. The woman bent down, smiling at nothing. The brunette took out an apple and offered it to empty air. 

“Now, _attack_ her.” Cinder commanded. 

Emerald’s eyes went wide. She practically froze. Mercury _grinned._ He glanced at Emerald. His malicious smile dropped.

“We’re gonna have to kill other people. Get over it.” Mercury groused, almost sounding annoyed.

Emerald didn’t respond. Cinder nodded to Mercury, she then sent a glare to Emerald. Before Mercury ran off, he said something else.

“You don’t have to do much, let me handle this, alright?” Mercury whispered. 

His voice was surprisingly comforting and _soft._ It threw Emerald for a loop. Mercury chuckled at the bewildered look on her face. His soft laughter choked and fizzled out once Cinder sent him an irritated glare. A blank look quickly replaced the soothing expression he had. 

Mercury stalked off, approaching Amber. While she was still distracted, Mercury raised his right leg and slammed it into Amber’s back. The Fall Maiden grunted in pain. The apple fell onto the forest floor.

“Who are you?” Amber asked.

Mercury didn’t say a thing. Just as he went in for another kick, Amber ditched the cloak and reached for her weapon. A small double crystal-headed staff. It expanded. Amber blocked the incoming attack. The gray haired boy rotated his body as he kicked at the staff twice. 

It clattered onto the ground. Amber gasped. Her brown eyes never left him. The woman retaliated once Mercury crept closer. Orange energy surged from her eyes. The red crystal flared with fire. The flames roared, rising erratically. The torrent of fire burnt away Mercury’s dark orange pants. Amber’s doe brown eyes widened. Instead of flesh and bone, Mercury had robotic prosthetic legs. It was made up of glowing blue lights, metal and wires. 

Cinder emerged from hiding. She clicked her tongue in displeasure. The gray haired boy froze at the sight of fire. For all that “talk” of being an assassin, Marcus’ boy was _weak._ Yes, the boy was _physically_ strong, but mentally? His mind was fraying at the edges.

Oh well.

Cinder didn’t want her other pawn dying at the hands of a panic attack, so she shot an arrow from her metallic swords. The arrow hit Amber’s knee. She collapsed onto the ground with a pained gasp. The fire died down. 

Amber reached for her staff. She weakly slammed it down as violent winds picked up. The brunette pulled herself up and twirled the staff. She blasted the fierce winds towards them. Mercury and Cinder were pushed back. Amber raised her right hand into the air. Wind swirled around her body and into the trees. The falling leaves were swept up by the wind. With a flick of Amber’s free hand, the green leaves morphed into sharp ice. The woman hurled it towards the duo.

Mercury dodged or took the damage with his legs. Cinder weaved out of way. Amber sent several bolts lighting towards her opponents. It hit Mercury with ease. The magic attack stunned him. Cinder somehow wasn’t hit, despite the lighting honing on its target. Cinder ran up to the woman and sliced her bare elbow. 

Amber glanced around in confusion. Although she kept her guard up, Cinder knew the Fall Maiden had a disadvantage. The black haired woman smirked, watching a trembling Emerald use her Semblance. She looked painfully desperate. 

Cinder connected her swords into a bow and nocked three arrows. Each one contained explosives. The woman shot all three. Each arrow heavily depleted her Aura. Amber fell face down onto the ground. The Fall Maiden struggled to get up.

“Running won’t do you _any_ good.” Cinder mused with a wicked smile.

Mercury ran towards Amber from behind. He firmly grabbed her wrists, putting them behind her back. Amber kicked at Mercury. 

“You aren’t _that_ good at using your powers, are you? You missed almost every single time.” Cinder mocked.

Amber’s palms heated up. Mercury grit his teeth. He didn’t let go. The woman glanced at her staff that once again lay on the ground. It levitated, pointing towards Cinder. The red crystal hummed and glowed. A massive blast of fire was unleashed. It hit the woman. 

Cinder shook off the damage and clapped. While the flames hurt like hell, the woman wasn’t _weak. ___

____

“You managed to land a hit. _Amazing._ ” Cinder said. 

__

Cinder slowly sauntered over to her. The woman took out a white glove and put it on her left hand. She lifted her hand towards Amber’s face. The back of the glove bore an emblem. A blood red symbol of an open eye in a compass shape, it was broken on one side by five diamond shapes.

__

“Don’t worry, _Fall Maiden_ , I’ll make sure to use _your_ powers properly.” Cinder said in a fake soothing tone.

__

Amber struggled against Mercury’s tight hold. In a last ditch effort, the brunette summoned winds. Cinder rolled her eyes. The winds weren’t even strong enough to push them away.

__

A small red portal popped into existence, right onto the front of the glove. A Grimm spider crawled out.

__

Amber pitifully begged. Soft and defeated.

__

The Grimm spat out an inky black web. It instantly latched onto Amber’s face. It covered her left eye. The Fall Maiden _screamed_. The literal fire in her right eye flickered out as the web absorbed it. The power traveled through the glove, right into Cinder’s body.

__

Amber didn’t stop screaming.

__

Cinder’s amber eyes glowed, blazing like a dangerous fire. Numerous sparks surrounded her body. A black and red circle appeared under them. Amber slowly closed her eye. She smirked until she heard rapid footsteps. 

__

Cinder snarled in anger. Qrow Branwen _miraculously_ appeared. The man swung his greatsword, severing the web. Mercury and Cinder leapt back. Qrow quickly grabbed the unconscious Fall Maiden before she fell. Cinder’s glove faded away, leaving a black tattoo between her shoulder blades. High heels.

__

Qrow stared into a blank, white as a sheet face. The faceless woman waved her arms, summoning a fireball. In a show of power, the woman exploded two nearby trees. Qrow heard a pained yelp.

__

Qrow ran from the fight as quick as possible. Once he was in the clear, he worriedly glanced at Amber. 

__

* * *

__

Both Nora and Yang goaded Link into buying ice cream. Having ice cream wasn’t the problem. The _flavor_ was. They dared him to eat the most disgusting flavor on the menu. For some reason they chose garlic flavored ice cream. Link figuratively wanted to _die._

__

Link kept eating it with a blank look. Yang and Nora howled with laughter. Ren looked impressed. Pyrrha felt terrible for him. Jaune was surprised.

__

“ _Why_ would you agree to this?” Blake asked. 

__

Link briefly stopped eating, ‘I kind of wanted to try it.’

__

Blake looked exasperated. She rolled her eyes with a huff.

__

“I wonder what Ruby and Weiss are doing.” Yang offhandedly said.

__

Ruby and Weiss left shortly after Mercury and Emerald. Ruby teemed with excitement, dragging away a blushing Weiss.

__

“Let’s bet on them!” Nora yelled, slamming the table they sat at.

__

“Nora, no!” Jaune countered.

__

“Nora, _yes._ ” Nora said with a grin.

__

Jaune sighed.

__

“I’ll bet fifty Lien that Ruby and Weiss are on a date.” Yang said.

__

“I’ll bet a _hundred_ Lien that they are hanging out like buddies!” Nora added.

__

“Twenty Lien that they’re are spending time with family.” Blake announced.

__

“One Lien and they are doing _nothing_! Seriously guys, why are we betting on them?” Jaune wailed.

__

Nora rapidly poked Ren’s right shoulder. Ren smiled softly at her.

__

“Zero Lien.” Ren said.

__

“ _Ren_! That’s not how betting _works._ ” Nora whined.

__

Nora and Yang turned to Link. The boy grinned.

__

‘A thousand Lien. They’re hanging out but ran into family.’

__

Nora whistled.

__

“Someone’s cocky.” Yang said.

__

‘Not quite. I saw Qrow and Weiss’ sister earlier. Those two are probably still here.’

__

“Link Dorephan _destroys_ Yang with facts!” Nora yelled.

__

They all laughed.

__

Shortly after the bets were made, Emerald and Mercury returned. The mint haired girl looked frazzled and uneasy.

__

“Emmy! What’s wrong?” Nora softly asked.

__

“She used her Semblance on Cinder.” Mercury answered.

__

“Woah.” Yang softly exclaimed, clearly shocked. Her jaw dropped.

__

‘I’m proud of you.’

__

_Emerald is hesitant to use her Semblance, and she used it against Cinder. That’s amazing._

__

Emerald sobbed.

__

“I didn’t want to tell her anything!” Emerald cried.

__

_She wanted to protect us._

__

Yang and Nora hugged her. The mint haired girl was squished between them. Yang softly shushed her, humming all the while. Nora pat Emerald’s head.

__

“That must have been terrifying.” Pyrrha quietly said.

__

Emerald nodded.

__

“May I try something?” Ren gently asked.

__

Emerald nodded again. Ren got up from his seat and walked towards Emerald. The boy briefly explained his Semblance and what he would do. He lightly touched the mint haired girl’s shoulder. She calmed down.

__

“Thanks.”

__

Ren nodded. 

__

Link’s Scroll buzzed. He had a feeling it was Ozpin. The boy checked his Scroll.

__

_Great, it’s Ozpin._

__

**Ozpin:** We have come to a decision.

__

**Ozpin:** Please return to my office. 

__

Link closed the device with a groan.

__

“What’s the matter, Link?” Pyrrha asked.

__

‘Ozpin wants to see me again. I have to go, sorry.’

__

The group said their goodbyes. Before Link left, he let Button stay with them. The boy waved them off with a grin. As soon as he boarded the Air Bus, he grimaced.

__

_What kind of decision did they make? Oh, no. It’s the candidate, isn’t it? Please don’t let it be that._

__

Terrible scenarios swarmed his head. The next Fall Maiden dying to Cinder. The transfer being unsuccessful. The future Fall Maiden being unable to cope with their power. Not doing a single thing to _stop_ the transfer. 

__

Link was panicking. He couldn’t breathe. He pushed it down. His fear. His anxiety. _Everything._

__

Link was fine. He would be _fine._

__

The boy didn’t realize the Air Bus stopped. He hastily got off the ship. Link’s heart sank to his stomach. He _really_ didn’t want to go to Ozpin’s office. Or the vault. He didn’t want to see Amber. 

__

Link bumped into someone. _Four_ someones to be exact. Qrow, Winter, Weiss and Ruby.

__

“Link! Hi!” Ruby excitedly greeted.

__

Link waved to her.

__

The team leader of RWBY babbled on, mentioning Winter, and other things that Link tuned out.

__

“Link? Are you okay?” Ruby asked with a worried frown.

__

Link nodded without thinking. 

__

“What’s wrong?” Weiss interjected.

__

Qrow gave him a warning look.

__

‘The mission I have. I’m getting more information today.’

__

“Don’t worry, Link, Professor Ozpin is just gonna tell you it’s gonna be a piece of cake!” Ruby cheered.

__

‘Thank you.’

__

Ruby gasped, as if she remembered something. She lightly shook Weiss’ arm.

__

“Do the thing!” Ruby yelled.

__

Weiss looked confused.

__

“The ice sword thing you summoned in our match, remember?”

__

“I might not able to replicate it. That was the first time I ever summoned and it wasn’t even complete!” Weiss vented. She seemed frustrated. 

__

“That’s okay! Oh, I got an idea!”

__

“What is it, Ruby?” Weiss softly asked.

__

“Remember when you used to plan out attacks in your head? Or out loud?”

__

“Yes?” Weiss answered, not following along.

__

“Well! Forget about thinking! Just _feel_!” Ruby exclaimed with a grin.

__

“Just feel.” Weiss slowly echoed in disbelief.

__

Qrow bit back a laugh. Winter sent a stern look to Ruby, who yelped.

__

“I trust you.” Weiss replied.

__

The white haired girl closed her eyes. She took a couple of calm, even breaths. A small smile graced her pale face. Weiss pointed her rapier outwards, then downwards. A small glyph with six rings formed on the ground. The outer circle was tinted red, while the inside remained white. The tiny center of the glyph bore a deep red rose. Gray bullet symbols neatly littered the area right outside of the center. The bullets were in a circular pattern. Four large red and black scythes housed themselves around the glyph. They slowly rotated. In the fifth ring were tiny crescent moons and short spearheads. The spearheads were cut in half. The outer circle was surrounded by white snowflakes.

__

Everyone’s eyes were glued to the strange glyph.

__

Light blue mist and petals swirled around the glyph. It died down, revealing a miniature Ruby Rose. The misty ice replica was nearly spot on, save for her weapon. Instead of Crescent Rose, there was a long sickle in its hands. The weapon was cracked and chipped in a few places.

__

The glyph disappeared.

__

Weiss opened her eyes.

__

“ _What_ is that?!” Weiss exclaimed.

__

“That’s me!” Ruby answered in awe.

__

Weiss looked absolutely dumbfounded. Her eyes widened in shock as a blush colored her cheeks. Her mouth slightly hung open.

__

“I meant to summon that armor, not you!” Weiss explained.

__

Ruby kept staring at the summon.

__

“Tell mini-me to do something!”

__

Weiss closed her eyes in concentration. The summon started to run. It twirled the sickle before pointing the blade downwards. It pretended to pull a trigger, as if it was holding Crescent Rose. It leapt into air, slamming the sickle downwards. It hit the empty air.

__

Ruby clapped. Link joined in. The replica saluted them before it vanished within a swirl of petals. 

__

“That. Was. _Awesome_!” Ruby squealed.

__

“Thank you.” Weiss mumbled. 

__

“That was rather impressive, however you should continue to summon,” Winter paused, “your _teammate_ until it is perfect.” Winter lightly criticized. 

__

Weiss smiled.

__

“Of course, Winter.” Weiss softly replied.

__

As the trio conversed, Qrow pulled Link aside. The man ruffled Ruby’s hair before heading to Beacon Academy.

__

The duo arrived at Ozpin’s office. Link was again met with Ironwood, Ms. Goodwitch and Ozpin.

__

“Good evening, Link.” Ozpin greeted.

__

Link grunted.

__

‘Who is the candidate?’

__

Ozpin frowned, sighing softly. The mug in his hand was placed on his desk. The man ignored his question.

__

“Wait for us in the vault.” Ozpin said, dodging the question.

__

Link nodded. The second he turned around, he scowled. He ran his hand through his hair. The boy entered the elevator. 

__

He wasn’t ready for this. He didn’t want to know who they chose. 

__

His heartbeat sounded too loud in his ears. Too _fast._

__

Within minutes, he reached the vault. Link avoided Amber, refusing to look at her. The boy swiftly walked past the comatose woman. Link peered at the drab, gray walls. He quirked his eyebrows as he noticed something weird. A door was engraved into the wall. It was decorated with black swirls and wilted gray flowers. 

__

The boy lightly pressed his right hand against the door. The swirls slowly lit up, changing from black to light blue. The wilted flowers unfurled and bloomed. The petals faintly glowed sky blue and white. The door quietly creaked open. Golden light spewed from it.

__

Link heard footsteps. He instantly shut the door with a gasp.

__

_What is this?_

__

The boy quickly walked away from the door. 

__

Link jumped out of his skin. He let out a slew of swears in his head. His heartbeat picked up once again. He put his right hand behind his back, balling it into a tight fist. Red hot rage and cold, dreadful fear ran through his veins. The dark scowl he wore was wiped away, fading into a serene expression. 

__

The Hylian stared at the familiar sight of red hair and bright emerald eyes.

__

Pyrrha Nikos. 

__

“If I may ask, what is Link doing here?” Pyrrha softly asked.

__

“Why don’t you ask him?” Qrow asked in a somewhat hostile manner. 

__

Pyrrha frowned, but directed her question to Link. The boy looked away in silence. Ozpin cleared his throat. The man motioned to Amber and sighed heavily. Pyrrha took a hesitant step forward.

__

Ironwood, Qrow, Ms. Goodwitch and Ozpin filled Pyrrha in. About Amber and the transfer. They left out Salem and Cinder, entirely. The four adults continued to speak. Link tuned them out.

__

“I’ll do it.” Pyrrha announced. The girl stared at the floor. Ozpin looked up in surprise.

__

Link’s head whipped towards Pyrrha. He grit his teeth. 

__

_What the fuck is she thinking? Is she even thinking? Please, don’t do this._

__

“Link?” Pyrrha called. 

__

‘Why are you agreeing to this so easily?’

__

The redhead met his chilling gaze. Her green eyes burned with fierce resolution.

__

“Becoming the Fall Maiden will help humanity, and as a Huntress in training, it’s my _destiny_ to help those in need.” Pyrrha earnestly answered.

__

_She has a death wish. She has a fucking death wish._

__

The adults in the room shared a wary look. Pyrrha tore her gaze away from Link. She stared at Ozpin.

__

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Pyrrha asked Ozpin. There was a hint of uncertainty in her tone.

__

Ozpin nodded. He then explained how _exactly_ the transfer would work. Since Amber’s condition was _terrible_ , they would have to transfer Amber’s Aura into Pyrrha. Qrow went on, stating that the transfer might not even work, and if it did, it would _change_ her; her mind, personality, _everything._ Ms. Goodwitch gave the girl a deadline. Right before the tournament ended.

__

Pyrrha didn’t respond. She placed her hand on the glass, where the Maiden rest.

__

Before Ozpin and his group let her go, the headmaster gave her a warning.

__

“The person who attacked the Fall Maiden has already made their first move. They will _definitely_ choose to move another chess piece, soon. Be careful.” 

__

Link sighed deeply. The boy cleared his buzzing, angry mind, the best he could. He sent a sharp glare to Ozpin. His azure eyes were wild, filled with fury and something _darker._

__

‘What. The. Fuck, Ozpin?’

__

Link didn’t give the man time to respond.

__

‘What the hell are you thinking? Pyrrha is a child! You’re fine with feeding her to the wolves, huh?!’

__

“We don’t have a _choice_ , Link.” Qrow hissed, taking a swig from his flask.

__

‘Pyrrha does, and unfortunately, she’s considering this. You didn’t even tell her about Cinder or Salem!’

__

“We will tell her once she joins our group.” Ms. Goodwitch replied.

__

‘All of you are idiots. Why wouldn’t you tell her beforehand?’

__

“Pyrrha Nikos wouldn’t have accepted if we mentioned Salem.” Ironwood curtly said.

__

‘If she fully accepts this and ends up **dead** , I’m blaming myself then you.’

__

With a sense of déjà vu and dread mixed into one, Link left the vault.

__


	36. Battle Theme I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link thinks about Pyrrha and her upcoming decision. Pyrrha vaguely talks to Jaune about her troubles, only for it to go wrong. The third and fourth round begins, and it's a wild ride.

Link ran his hand through his hair. He was stressed, to say the least. The boy _hoped_ that Pyrrha would decline Ozpin’s request. Judging by her suicidal resolve, Link guessed the girl was leaning towards yes. 

The Hylian didn’t want a repeat of the Champions. The people he couldn’t save. 

Link let out a shaky sigh.

“Linky!” Nora hollered. 

“Link!” Yang sing-songed.

The boy made a soft noise in response.

‘I’m fine.’

“And I despise puns. You aren’t fooling us!” Yang joked.

‘I said I’m fine.’

“Link, you said you’ll talk to us, please tell us what’s wrong.” Ruby pleaded.

‘Can’t talk about it.’

“What’s with you?” Mercury asked.

Despite the rude phrasing, the boy sounded worried. 

‘Gotta talk to Pyrrha.’

“Why?” Ren softly asked.

Link glowered at the ground.

‘It’s important.’

“I think she’s talking to Jaune.” Weiss explained.

Link didn’t reply. He slammed his head into the metallic black table they sat at. The boy ignored the looks he received from the group.

Elsewhere, Jaune and Pyrrha sat by a large oak tree. Pyrrha leaned against it. She caught a falling leaf and nervously twirled it around. The leaf was a dying and fading orange. Pyrrha solemnly thought of Amber. Her thoughts and convictions spiraled into never ending doubts. 

She thought of the wild, almost haunted look on Link’s face.

The choice she had to make was approaching. As a future Huntress, she _had_ to agree to this. The girl wanted to be a hero for anyone and everyone. But, she was terrified. 

“Hey.” Jaune quietly called to Pyrrha. 

His voice was gentle and filled with concern. The redhead glanced at him. The boy had a soft smile on his face.

“I’m really glad I met you, Pyrrha. You were the _first_ person to believe in me. Whenever I thought I wasn’t good enough, or compared myself to, like, Link, you always told me otherwise. It’s kind of funny. My own parents told me ‘don’t worry Jaune, just come back home if Beacon is too much for you!’ But you? You helped me, a lot! So, uh,” Jaune rambled on. 

Pyrrha smiled. It was small. Weak. Jaune frowned as a serious expression crossed his face.

“What I’m trying to say is I want to be there for you, too. I can tell there’s something on your mind, so I want to know how to help.”

Pyrrha hummed in acknowledgment. She leaned her head on Jaune’s shoulder, wearing a content expression. The second another autumn leaf fell, Pyrrha’s expression changed. Her face darkened, startling Jaune. The girl stood up, looking away from him.

“I’m not sure what to do.”

“About?” Jaune asked. 

Pyrrha sighed as she slowly shook her head.

“Do,” Pyrrha paused, thinking of what to say, “do you believe in destiny?”

Jaune did a double take. 

“Uh, I don’t know? What brought this on?” Jaune stuttered in confusion.

“Well, when I think of destiny, I believe it is a final goal, something that you work towards your entire life.” Pyrrha explained. 

Jaune blinked in consideration. He nodded, waiting for her to continue. Pyrrha seemed to struggle, each time she wanted to say something, the girl shut down. She sighed again.

“What would you do if something stopped you from achieving your destiny?” Pyrrha shakily asked.

As the seconds went by, the more stressed she looked. Her emerald eyes darted to the ground, then upwards. 

“Like what?” Jaune lightly prodded.

The girl didn’t answer right away. She hugged herself and tried not to sob.

“What if you could fulfill your destiny instantly, but at the cost of who you were?” Pyrrha rambled on.

Jaune got up, attempting to place a hand on her shoulder. 

“Pyrrha,” Jaune called slowly, filled with growing concern, “you’re not making sense, please tell-”

“ _None_ of this makes sense!” Pyrrha yelled.

The girl brushed his hand away. She covered her face with her hands.

“I’m sorry! I’m just trying to get what’s wrong. I’m worried about you, Pyrrha.” Jaune exclaimed in alarm.

“Becoming a Huntress was never a dream to me. It was like destiny. I want to protect the world, and it’s _very_ clear, even now that my feelings were right,” Pyrrha sighed, staring at Jaune, “But, I’m not sure if I can do it.”

Jaune gave her a reassuring look.

“If I managed to get into Beacon with fake transcripts, then you can definitely stop what’s getting in your way.” Jaune said with a grin.

Pyrrha broke down. Her face was scrunched up in pure agony. She covered her mouth as she started to sob. 

“Pyrrha? Did I say something wrong?” 

Pyrrha turned away, ready to run off.

“Stop.” Pyrrha whispered in distress.

Jaune tried to get closer to her. She pushed him away.

“ _Pyrrha?_ What’s wrong?”

Jaune had no idea what went wrong. He didn’t know how to help her. He tried his best, and clearly, he failed.

“ _Stop_!” Pyrrha screamed.

The redhead lost control of her Semblance, pushing Jaune against the tree by his armor. The boy grunted, watching her with concern. Pyrrha gasped and lowered her arm. She carefully sent Jaune back down. Regret was painted on her face.

“I’m- I’m _sorry_!” 

Pyrrha ran away before Jaune could say anything to her.

* * *

As Pyrrha ran, she bumped into the last person she wanted to see. Link. The Faunus didn’t seem to react, at first. 

“I’m sorry.” Pyrrha said out of habit.

Link’s ears twitched. He didn’t acknowledge her apology. The air already felt charged with tension and awkwardness. 

“Um, I made a decision.”

Once again, his ears twitched. The boy slowly glanced at an unnerved Pyrrha. The girl jumped at the look in his eyes. It was as if he was dreading to hear terrible news. 

“I’m,” Pyrrha choked, clenching her fists, “I’m going to do it.”

Pyrrha expected to see that feral look, again. Anger, fear, _something._ Instead, Link looked absolutely defeated. His ears seemed to droop, as well. 

The boy looked past her. He looked distant, yet so sullen. It broke Pyrrha’s heart.

‘Okay.’

“You,” she gave the boy an incredulous look, “you aren’t going to stop me?”

Link chuckled. Low and empty. Pyrrha stared at the boy, eyes wide like saucers. 

‘No point.’

“What do you mean?” Pyrrha asked in a shaky, scared voice.

‘I’m fine.’

“Link?”

‘If this happens again, would that mean I’m cursed? Or am I…’

“Link, what are you talking about? You’re scaring me!” 

Pyrrha watched the boy with increasing anxiety. The vaguely sad look on his face vanished. Link sighed.

‘It’s nothing, don’t worry.’ 

With that, Link simply walked away. He headed towards his friends.

* * *

The sportscasters shouted in delight as the crowd roared.

“Good evening, viewers! Welcome to the third round!” Professor Port said.

“The following three vs three round will be exciting, indeed! One member from three different teams must work together to defeat a randomized trio!” Professor Oobleck announced. 

“The first battle is between RWBY’s Yang Xiao Long, JNPR’s Pyrrha Nikos and JPSJ’s Saeyoung Chuden vs SSSN’s Neptune Vasilias, NMBT’s ProJared, and CAHK’s Chase Dio!” Professor Port yelled.

The two trios entered the arena. The biomes changed once more. The left of the arena had jagged brown rocks at the edge, while the inside was cracked and flat. The ground was charged with fire Dust, popping and crackling every few seconds. The right side was comprised of ice. 

Yang and Pyrrha greeted their teammate. The third member of the trio floundered cutely. She blushed softly. The short girl gave them a small wave in response. The girl, Saeyoung had dyed pale orange hair and droopy dark brown bunny ears. The girl’s hair reached her neck. Her bangs were swept to the right. Her round eyes were chocolate brown. She wore thick rimmed glasses. The frame was reddish-brown, while the inside of the temple was brown. 

The Faunus wore a pitch black trench coat with golden buttons. The trench coat was lined in red. The cuffs of the coat were rolled up to the wrists. The girl wore fingerless leather gloves. The back of the gloves were dark red, while the front was dull yellow. Underneath the unbuttoned trench coat was a plain gray t-shirt with a yellow neckline. Bold pink lettering was printed on the chest. Saeyoung wore blue skinny jeans and black sneakers. 

The second member of the opposing trio had short brown hair, which was well-coiffed. He had dull blue eyes and a blindly bright grin. He wore a dark blue dress shirt and black pants. The boy wore a letterman jacket over the shirt. The rolled up sleeves were dark gray, while the body was sea green. A patch was stitched on the upper left side on the jacket. The patch was a pair of brown pixelated boots. 

The boy carried a golden rapier with a sapphire pommel in his hands. 

Chase was the boy who faced off against Pewdiepie in the first round.

With minimal introductions out of the way, the fight began. Pyrrha activated her Semblance, right off the bat. She harshly pulled ProJared forwards by his weapon. Since his rapier was rendered useless, he went in for a punch, instead. The redhead easily dodged it. 

However, the girl was thrown off kilter by Neptune. The boy fired an electrified shot at her. ProJared smirked and thanked Neptune. The brown haired boy jabbed his rapier into Pyrrha’s side. 

“Catch me if you can!” ProJared taunted as he began to run away. 

The boy ran off, heading towards the ice. He nearly lost his balance, slipping and sliding against the ice. ProJared’s arms flailed in a rapid circle. A few seconds passed, allowing the boy to find a rhythm. He skated across the ice with grace.

Saeyoung wordlessly pointed to the runaway fighter. Yang gave her a thumbs up.

“Go after that kid!” Yang said with glee.

Saeyoung tapped her feet twice. Spiked cleats appeared under the soles. The girl trailed after ProJared. She reached into her coat and pulled out a dagger. The Faunus caught up to Projared. She circled around him. The boy kept his guard up. Saeyoung threw the weapon at ProJared’s feet. She fished for two more daggers, throwing them into the ice. ProJared gave her a confused look. 

The girl took out another dagger. She lunged towards the boy, aiming the dagger at his chest. Projared ran backwards, right into one of the daggers. Saeyoung quickly put her right hand inside the left cuff. She pressed a small button. 

Each dagger that was embedded into the ice, exploded. ProJared was caught in the blast. He was knocked several feet away. The boy got up with a groan. 

“Gee, explosions. _Never_ seen that before.” ProJared said with a deadpan expression.

Saeyoung didn’t say anything. 

The boy carefully dashed across the ice. He jabbed the blade at Saeyoung, who easily dodged. ProJared seemed to have another idea. He repeatedly made a rapid stabbing motion, chipping away at Saeyoung’s Aura.

Before either fighter could dish out another attack, they were interrupted. Neptune tumbled into them. The impact caused the two students to fall. Yang gave her opponents a cheeky grin.

“Oops!” Yang exclaimed.

Saeyoung got up. She glanced at the blue haired boy. The girl ignored him, heading straight for ProJared. Neptune grabbed onto her leg. She checked the display. The girl frowned at the amount of Aura he had left. 

It was low. 

Saeyoung shook off his hand and kicked him. It was hard enough to deplete his Aura. 

ProJared gasped. The boy fumbled around for something in his jacket pocket. His eyes lit up with relief once he found it. A golden circlet with a blue teardrop shaped gem. ProJared put it on and winked. 

The boy’s clothes changed with a flash of light. ProJared now wore a female sailor suit. The large bow he had was dark blue. The blue skirt he wore was below the knee. White stockings and black slip ons completed the look.

Saeyoung stood still. She stared at the boy in pure shock.

“I’m a fucking magical girl, _bitch._ ” ProJared said in a monotone voice. 

He gave Saeyoung a goofy smile. The boy rose his rapier into the air. It quickly transformed into a pistol. He twirled the firearm in his hand. He shot three times. One in the left arm. Another in the chest. The last bullet missed. The girl shrugged off the damage. 

Saeyoung gaped at her Aura on the display. Those two bullets made a _huge_ dent in her Aura. 

ProJared ran towards Saeyoung. The slipperiness of the ice greatly increased his speed. Saeyoung backflipped twice. She pulled out two daggers from her coat. The girl threw them directly into his feet. ProJared tripped, falling on his face. 

More daggers were thrown around him. 

“Isn’t this overkill?” ProJared asked nervously.

Sixteen daggers were currently embedded into the ice. Each dagger was scarily close to ProJared’s body. 

With a click of the button, the daggers exploded. ProJared screeched. The boy tried to get up, only to fall back down. Half of his outfit was singed and tattered. He yelled out his last words before he passed out. 

“Do it, my friends! I believe in you!” 

Yang called Saeyoung over. 

“We have one more opponent to defeat.” Pyrrha said.

The three girls looked at Chase. He stared back with a bright smile.

“Saeyoing!” Chase greeted his friend.

“Chase!” Saeyoung called out with a cheerful grin.

“Yang!” Yang yelled.

They all looked at her.

“What?” Yang asked with a shrug.

“It’s three against one, there is no way you’ll win.” Pyrrha announced. 

“Well, a skilled Roy can always beat a Fox, so I don’t know about _that._ ”

Saeyoung rolled her eyes. Pyrrha ignored his statement and used her Semblance. The girl dragged Chase into the left side of the arena. Saeyoung threw a couple of daggers near Chase. 

A grin split Yang’s face.

“The weather _fire_ cast predicts a lot of explosions!” Yang screamed, trying not to laugh at her own joke. She failed miserably. 

Yang fired an explosive shot at the daggers, causing them to go off. Lava and flames burst out of the ground.

“Damnit, Saeyoing-bayoing.” Chase groaned in pain.

“Are you gonna get up?” Yang asked.

“I can’t get up, I can only get _down._ ” Chase joked. He wheezed.

Saeyoung laughed at the inside joke. Chase passed out a second later.

The winners of the first match were announced. The crowd cheered loudly. 

“Now that the first match is over, we can start the second trio battle!” Professor Port exclaimed.

“Yet again, the fighters were changed without our notice! Two solo fighters will join team CNEM’s leader, Cinder Fall to fight _one_ person! These lone wolves didn’t get much screen time in the first round, but in this battle, they will!” Professor Oobleck rambled on.

They called for Link, Button and Cinder. As they entered the arena, Cinder discreetly pulled Link aside. The woman placed a hand on his shoulder. To the audience, it was soft, almost reassuring. To Link, it was a _threat._

Cinder leaned towards Link. She whispered into his ear.

“Don’t even _think_ of throwing the match, Link. If you do, then,” Cinder’s eyes began to glow as her palm heated up, “your little friends will _suffer._ ”

Link glared at her. Cinder smirked.

“You wouldn’t want _poor_ ‘Mercy’ and ‘Emmy’ to be hurt, hm?” Cinder mocked. 

The Hylian swatted her hand away. He speed walked towards the ring. Button tugged on his sleeve.

“I’ll protect you! And everyone, too, okay?” Button declared. The young boy’s determined expression looked more like a pout.

Link smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. Button giggled. Cinder scowled at them.

“Our opponent is here. Enough.” Cinder hissed.

True to her word, a man walked into the arena. He stood in front of them. The tall man had a rather stocky build. He had short black hair, which was ruffled in some places. The man also had a full beard. His dark brown eyes settled on each fighter.

The man wore a black jacket with a skull on the back. The skull had 3D glasses with black frames. He had black jeans and sneakers. Over the jacket, the man wore brown leather shoulder pads. It was connected by a metal chest piece, which was in the shape of an eye. 

In the man’s hands was a hammer. The hammer was half his size. Despite its slim design, Link was sure that it was heavy. The grip and handle was primarily silver with gold rings around it. The end of the grip had a blunt bronze pommel. The claw of the hammer resembled a fang. It was engraved with a swirly ‘V’. The face of the weapon had spikes. The head of the hammer was sphere-like and had spikes around it. 

The man seemed unimpressed. He rose an eyebrow with a neutral expression on his face. He almost looked bored.

“So, a _pipsqueak,_ a fire witch. Oh _sorry,_ I meant bitch, and,” the man paused, glancing at Link with a somewhat fond look in his eyes, “a little man.”

Cinder’s eyes glowed as a small fireball rested in her palm. She looked pissed beyond belief. 

“Would you care to say that, _again?_ ” Cinder hissed. 

The man rose his other eyebrow. He repeated what he said, word for word. Cinder immediately lunged for him. Flames erupted from her hands. She hurled fireballs at him. The man sidestepped, somehow evading all of them. The woman growled as she unsheathed her swords. Cinder swung one, only for it to be blocked. 

She glared at her opponent. He smirked back. 

Cinder continued her assault, slashing away at the man. He raised the handle up to his chest, blocking each attack with ease. 

“Why don’t you ask _them_ for help?” The man asked in a condescending tone. 

Cinder briefly looked at Link and Button. She scoffed. The man shrugged.

“Alright, then.” The man flatly said.

The man slammed the hammer into Cinder’s hip. She was practically sent flying. The woman crashed into a large icicle. Link stared at the man in astonishment. His eyes went wide as his mouth hung open. 

“It’s time I show you the meaning of modesty!” The man yelled with a wild grin. 

His grin faltered when Cinder quickly got up. Anger marred her features. 

“You boast as if you’ll win with _ease._ ” Cinder snarled.

“Well, yeah, that’s the plan.” The man responded.

Cinder ignored him. She gave Link a heated glare. The boy scowled at her. The woman marched over to him, steaming with rage. She gripped his right wrist _hard._ Her palm sizzled, leaving a trail of smoke. As Link attempted to tug his hand away, Cinder’s hand flared with fire. The boy let out a pained gasp.

“Go and fight him. Don’t hold back.” Cinder sharply commanded.

The woman let go.

‘If I don’t?’

“That little boy with the green hair?” Cinder began with a smirk on her face.

Link grit his teeth. He sent a murderous look to Cinder. To her credit, she didn’t react.

“ _I’ll_ make sure he has something to cry about.” Cinder finished.

“I’m hearing a lotta evil bitchin’ from you and I _don’t_ like it.” The man interrupted. He sounded sassy with a slight hint of worry. 

Cinder shook her head.

“Where did you come up with these things? I’m not evil, at all.” Cinder crooned. 

“I’m not blind or deaf, thank you very much.” The man retorted.

Before they entered another verbal clash, Link stepped in. The boy took out his swords. The man hummed in acknowledgment and nodded. The short Hylian swapped out his ice Dust for lightning Dust. 

Link dashed towards him. He rapidly swung the blades at the man’s chest. The man blocked. The second his hammer and the blades met, lightning latched onto the blunt weapon. It shocked him. The lightning caused the man to drop his hammer. Link activated Magnesis. He aimed the tablet at the weapon. The boy waved the weapon up and down. He pulled his arm back and harshly swung it forward. The hammer careened into the man’s head. To soften the next blow, Link lightly bumped his head with the weapon.

The Hylian looked over to Button. The little boy perked up. Link glanced back to the man. Button nodded twice with a cute smile. The bird Faunus sped towards the man. He took out his yo-yo and pushed the ‘B’ in. He embedded the spikes into the ice. Button spun in a wide circle. He picked up the pace, skating faster. He almost became a blur of green and beige. The boy tugged on the yo-yo, ripping the tiny blades out the ice. 

Button zoomed across the arena. He all but crashed into the man. The young boy landed a rough punch in his stomach. Once the electricity left his body, the man sputtered in disbelief. He regained his composure and stared down Button. The little boy held his ground, glaring at him. The man chuckled. He gently grabbed the boy.

The man didn’t miss how Link tensed up. He also didn’t miss how Link turned his swords into a crossbow. The boy shot an arrow. It pierced the man’s right arm. The much taller man let go of Button.

“ _Damn!_ I wasn’t going to hurt him, he’s a _kid_!” The man yelled.

Link narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“I was literally just going to put him down.” The man explained.

The man did a pick up and put down motion with his hands. Link gave him a slow nod. He deactivated Magnesis, allowing the man to grab his hammer. The man smirked. 

The man swung his hammer into the shorter male. Link blocked with his shield. The impact pushed Link a few feet away. Another whack to his shield caused it to be knocked out of his hand. The man _slammed_ his weapon into Link’s stomach. 

The boy let out a mangled scream as he tumbled into the ice. Blood spewed from his mouth, dripping onto the arena. His head felt rattled. Everything hurt.

“Oh, _shit._ I did _not_ mean to fucking do that.” The man exclaimed in horror.

Link slowly rose to his feet. He gagged on the taste of copper. The boy swayed a bit. He took a step and nearly stumbled. Link gave the man a shaky thumbs up. In return, the man winced.

Link charged towards the man. His movements were slow. The boy sluggishly slashed his swords. The man activated his Semblance as he freed a hand. A transparent blue shield formed on the back of his right hand. It had red rings around it. The shield expanded, blocking the hits with ease.

“I’m not willing to fight you if you’re injured.”

‘Don’t underestimate me.’ 

The man raised his eyebrow. Link used Statis+ on the hammer. The man attempted to swing it. The hammer didn’t budge. Confused, the man pulled his hammer. The pulling soon became tugging.

Link watched as the arrow went from yellow to orange then red. The Sheikah Slate emitted a ticking sound. Seconds passed. The man was flung across the arena. He hit one of the ragged rocks. He slid down onto the floor. 

The man got up. He gave Link a grin. 

“Enough. I will handle this, now.” Cinder ordered.

‘I got this.’

“Do _not_ disobey me.” Cinder spat.

‘I’m not your minion.’

Cinder dug her hand into her hair. She frantically combed through it. Her amber eyes flashed with fear or worry. It melted into something vicious and deadly. The woman kicked Link right in his bruised stomach. He spat out blood as he landed on the ground. The boy glared up at Cinder. She offered a tearful apology that wasn’t sincere. Small tears ran down her face. They seemed _forced._ Fake sobs bubbled from her throat. 

Cinder raised the blade in her left hand. She brought the scimitar down with _way_ too much speed and force. The woman plunged the sword into Link’s upper back. 

Link _screamed._ His vision blurred. Colors mixed together. Blacked out. The only thing he could focus on was the searing pain in his back. He was half aware of shouting and yelling around him. 

His throat burned. He thought he heard voices.

“It’s _Emerald’s_ fault, it was all her _fault_!”

“You _really_ are a crazy bitch.”

“ _Mama_!” 

Link felt people picking him up. He thrashed around, trying to escape their hold. 

More voices.

“Please stop moving, young man. You’ll be okay!”

“Just relax, let us help you.”

Link blacked out from blood loss.

* * *

After that trio fiasco, the sportscasters warily moved onto the doubles round. The tension hung heavy in the air. Even as the professors explained the doubles round, the crowd murmured in fright. An awkward silence began. 

“Arin, Dan, PBG and Jeff, please come to the arena!” Professor Port cut in.

His voice was out of place.

The four competitors seemed uneasy, too. As the two duos reached the arena, they became less and less comfortable. Arin and Dan stared down the duo. They started to laugh.

PBG had messy dark brown hair and green eyes. The tall boy also had a small beard. Like ProJared, he wore the same letterman jacket. Underneath the jacket was a forest green hoodie. A small sword and shield were printed on the hoodie. PBG wore blue jeans and black sneakers. The boy held a strange blue wind instrument in his hands. 

PBG’s partner, Jeff also had brown hair. A thin beard framed his chin. The boy had large hazel eyes and high cheekbones. On his head were small hamster ears. Jeff wore a similar letterman jacket. Instead of green and a boots patch, the sleeves were yellow and the patch was a cube with a white question mark. He wore a striped t-shirt underneath the jacket. Black jeans and orange sneakers completed the look. 

Arin coughed into his hand.

“Let’s _fu-_ sorry, let’s _fricking_ pinkie promise or some _shi-_ sorry, _again!_ Pinkie. Promise. _No_ weird sabotage, alright, guys?” Arin declared.

Dan rolled his eyes, but followed up with Arin’s childish suggestion. The two other boys stared at him, then to each other. They shrugged.

“Sure!” Jeff chirped.

“Yeah, why the heck not?” PBG agreed. 

They linked their pinkies together as they burst out laughing. 

“Okay, I have a stupid idea, how about we play rock paper scissors?” PBG asked.

Jeff chuckled, glancing at his friend. 

“Why?” Jeff asked.

“To see who makes the first move, duh!” PBG exclaimed, as if it was obvious. He said it in a goofy manner.

Arin nodded along.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. I _totally_ agree.” Arin said.

Jeff doubled over, choking on his own laughter.

“You don’t sound like you do, man.” Jeff stuttered.

Arin simply laughed.

Nonetheless, they played rock paper scissors. Jeff yelled in frustration, as he lost instantly. PBG chuckled good naturedly, patting his partner’s shoulder. Arin screeched. His face reddened in annoyance. He lost next. 

Dan and PBG were left. 

“Ki _yaaaaah_!” Dan yelled.

“ _Haaaaaaa!_ By the power of EESDESESESRDT!” PBG hollered. 

Dan used paper. PBG used scissors. They shook hands.

The actual battle began. 

PBG played a short song on his instrument. It stunned Dan. PBG took out a beige boomerang. He threw it at Dan. It whacked the boy in the face. PBG dashed towards Dan, catching the boomerang. The boy pushed in the green gem on the boomerang. It turned into a short sword. PBG jumped up, ready to attack Dan. Arin shot at PBG, causing him to fall onto the ground. 

“Hey, what _was_ that about?!” PBG exclaimed.

“You said whoever wins gets to attack first! We get to attack, now!” Arin yelled back.

“That’s fair!” PBG replied.

Dan unsheathed a katana. He spun in a circle, slashing away at PBG. The boy grunted in pain. He got up and jumped onto the blade. PBG slammed his foot on Dan’s hands. The curly haired boy dropped his weapon. PBG grabbed Dan, throwing him down onto the floor. He rapidly stabbed the taller boy. Before he could land another strike, Dan rolled out of the way. 

They ran at each other. Even though PBG was quick on his feet, Dan caught up with him. They clashed. Sparks flew. Dan overpowered PBG, sending him back on the ground. PBG whipped out the instrument and played it again. 

It stunned Dan again. 

“Hammy, _get_ him!” PBG wailed.

Jeff raced over to Dan, only to be stopped by Arin. Jeff dodged the array of tiny lasers. Arin cursed. Fire spewed from his mouth. Arin turned his dual pistols into an arm cannon. As he charged a massive laser, PBG sprung to action.

“Don’t hurt my friend!” PBG yelled. 

The boy stood in front of Jeff, guarding him. A determined expression was on his face. 

Arin fired the laser. PBG deflected the beam by slashing his sword. It was sent towards Arin. Arin parried the laser. The speed of the projectile increased. 

It soon became a game of ping pong. Somewhat deadly ping pong.

“Dude, _what_ are you doing?” Jeff asked in shock.

“Y’know, just playing a game of laser beam tennis, nothing too special!” PBG replied in a goofy voice.

Dan recovered, slashing at PBG’s back. Since PBG missed his chance to slash the beam, he was hit by it. He was knocked down.

Jeff took out a handgun. He shot at Dan seven times. The lanky boy sliced the bullets. Jeff stepped back in surprise. Within seconds, Dan stood right in front of Jeff. The hamster Faunus reached out for him. He clutched onto Dan’s wrist. The moment he let go, Dan started to float. 

The poor guy looked scared. Dan laughed nervously. Arin gave Dan a smile.

“Don’t worry, dude, I got you!” Arin said. 

Arin turned to the duo. He made a mad dash towards Jeff. The boy fired away. Jeff dodged some of the bullets. 

In the corner of Jeff’s eye, he noticed a less terrified Dan. The boy’s brown eyes changed color. It was now a bright gold. He clasped his hands together with a smirk on his face. Two massive golden dragons coiled around him. They were transparent. 

“ _Au-_ PeanutButterGamer, _watch out_!” Jeff screamed. 

“Hu-” PBG was cut off by the twin dragons.

Dan unleashed the dragons, watching them race towards PBG. One of the them hoisted PBG into the air. The second dragon squeezed the boy and set itself on fire. PBG cried out, screaming in agony. Fire engulfed the boy. The second dragon unwrapped itself. 

PBG fell onto the ground with a thud.

“Buddy? PBG, hey!” Jeff called out, clearly worried.

No response.

“No. _No!_ I’m alone, again!” Jeff cried in dismay. 

Dan apologized. Jeff sighed heavily. 

One of Dan’s dragons returned to him. It allowed Dan to step on its back. The dragon descended onto the ground. The boy groaned. He looked distoriented. 

“Arin, cover me.” Dan gasped.

Arin nodded. 

“Hey! Let’s play rock paper scissors, again!” Arin yelled.

“Right now?!” Jeff exclaimed.

Dan gave Arin a look.

“Yeah! Whoever wins gets to attack first, but,” Arin trailed off with a grin.

“But?” Jeff echoed.

“They get to use their strongest attack!” Arin finished.

“That’s- that’s _cheating_!” Jeff accused.

“Nuh-uh, it’s called winning!” Arin defended.

The two boys played best out of three. Jeff lost three times. Arin smirked.

Arin outstretched his arm. The voice in the arm cannon spoke.

“Noise level 0.50. Noise level 0.10. Approaching noise level 0.0001. Noise level 0.0001 reached.”

The cannon fired. The length and width of the laser was _gigantic._ Jeff was easily caught in the blast. 

It scorched the arena. Dust kicked up.

Once the dust cleared, Jeff was on the floor.

“What a major upset! Hilarity clashed with one another, only to turn into a hard fought battle! The winners are Dan and Arin! Congratulations!” Professor Port announced.

“Now, yet another duo battle will occur, right before our very eyes! Up next is Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black verses-” Professor Oobleck began. 

Everyone looked up as a dark green portal formed into thin air. A high pitched shriek and a string of curses rang out from the portal. The strange portal closed as two people popped out of it. They landed on the ground with a harsh thud.

“ _Oooooooh,_ I’m gonna kill Neil if we _ever_ get back to Camp Campbell.” 

“Max! That’s _not_ how you solve problems with a friend!”

‘Max’ ignored the other person. His mouth hung open in shock. 

“Where the _fuck_ are we?” Max asked.

“Max, language!”

Max rolled his eyes. 

Anxiety flared up in his heart. He had _no_ fucking clue where they were. The boy glanced at one of the displays. He saw a disgruntled, but secretly terrified kid stare back at him. The short kid on the screen had tan skin and a thin build. He had bluish-green eyes, which had bags underneath them. He wore a blue hoodie over a yellow t-shirt. He wore blue jeans. His sneakers were red with white stripes and black laces. 

Max slowly titled his head, watching his fluffy but messy black hair sway on the screen. He scowled into the camera. He turned to one of the most annoying people he ever met. The man glanced around. He bit his fingernails. 

The man caught himself and stopped.

“Don’t worry, Max.” The man said in a reassuring tone.

“Are you trying to tell yourself that, _David_?” Max snarked.

The man faltered for a moment, frowning.

Max already decided that a sad David was an ugly David. 

“Don’t look so depressed, it’s weird.” Max complained.

David gave him a bright smile.

“Thanks, Max!” David cheered.

Max waved David off. He didn’t care. 

The young boy glanced at David again. The man had a thin, lanky build and short auburn hair. He had a tuft of hair above his forehead. The man had blue-green eyes. He wore a dark green long-sleeved t-shirt with a pine tree design on the chest. The sleeves were rolled up. He also wore olive green shorts, white socks and brown shoes. He had a yellow t-shirt wrapped around his neck, as well as a brown vest. 

“Two strange individuals have breached the tournament!” Professor Port bellowed.

“This is all just a misunderstanding!” David cried.

Professor Port’s warning didn’t deter Mercury and Emerald. Although, they were a little freaked out about these people.

“Come here often?” Mercury joked.

The scowl on Max’s face deepened. 

“No, the hell I _don’t,_ emo.” Max hissed.

Mercury sniffed in mock hurt. 

“Emerald, he’s bullying me!” Mercury whined.

Emerald ignored him. Max stared at her.

“We don’t want any trouble, so-”

“Shut up, _pita._ ” Max interrupted. 

“Max, was that a bad word?” David scolded.

“Yes, yes it was.” Max flatly replied.

It wasn’t. It meant something completely different. It was something that Max didn’t have. A dad.

“Max!” David called.

Max scoffed.

“Are we gonna fight, now?” Mercury asked.

“That’s child abuse.” Max drawled. 

Mercury rose an eyebrow.

“Fight?” David questioned.

“We _are_ in a tournament.” Mercury stated in a matter of factly tone.

“Er, I’m not good at fighting.” David admitted.

Max gawked at him. 

“You tackled a grown man, a _buff_ grown man, you slapped Nurf, hell, you had a full on _brawl_ with _Daniel._ ” Max sharply replied.

David sputtered in embarrassment. He frantically waved his arms in denial.

“Well, _that_ time I was upset! And I didn’t mean to slap Nurf! I tripped, Max. Don’t you remember?” David clarified. 

“ _Uh-huh,_ yeah, I totally remember. You made him cry, David.” Max said with a smirk.

“Max!”

Max chuckled.

“What about that fight with, ugh, _Daniel_?” Max asked in somewhat disgust.

“That one’s easier to explain. I wanted to protect you.” David earnestly replied.

Max made a gagging motion.

“Ew, _feelings._ I’m allergic!” Max exclaimed.

“Now, Max, having feelings are normal!” David responded with a smile.

“Tell that to my therapist! Oh, _wait,_ I don’t have one!” Max said with a laugh. 

Mercury and Emerald watched the two banter on. It stopped once a swarm of Atlesian robots ran into the arena. They _all_ aimed their guns at Max and David. Max’s eyes widened.

“David, use those stick legs of yours and book it!” Max yelled. 

David gently picked up a fussy Max and ran as far as he could. A robot shot at him. David fell, screaming like a girl. Blood splattered on the ground. The man gasped in pain. He clutched his bleeding knee.

“David, stop being a pussy and _get up!_ Shit- _get_ up! David!” Max pleaded.

He wasn’t worried. Or scared. He _wasn’t._

“Don’t fucking leave me, damn it!” Max screamed.

David gave him a wobbly smile. 

Max definitely wasn’t _crying._

The robots cornered them. Max’s heart constricted. His breaths came out sharp. He shakily stood up to them, even as they pointed guns at his face.

“Come at me, fuckers! I’m _ripped._ ” Max taunted. 

The boy was relieved once the same dark green portal appeared. Max and David were sucked into the portal. 

“Thank fucking _god._ I’m beating Neil’s ass, then hugging him!”

“Max, no!” David shrieked. 

The portal vanished.

“Uh, I suppose we can move onto the last round?” Professor Oobleck asked, completely dumbfounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't thanked y'all for all the hits and kudos, so I'll say it now.
> 
> T H A N K YOU!!!! Y'all are awesome!


	37. 00:00:00

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a slew of unfortunate events during the tournament, everything comes to a crashing halt, leaving misery in its wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, this behemoth is the LAST chapter of Volume 3.
> 
> Secondly, HUGE spoilers for Volume 3, so if you haven't caught up with RWBY, please be warned!

Link blearily opened his eyes. He felt sluggish and strange beyond belief. His body ached with dull throbs of pain. The Hylian clutched his bandaged chest. A soft groan left his lips. 

A steady beeping noise resounded in his ears. The boy quickly put two and two together. He was currently laying on a simple bed in an infirmary. 

He turned his head to the left, spotting an interesting sight. The man he fought sat in a plastic chair with his arms crossed. The boy blinked in confusion.

“You’re finally awake, huh? Took you long enough.” The man joked. A light smirk graced his face. 

Link slowly nodded. _Hylia, I want to go back to sleep._

On instinct, Link began to sign. His fingers twitched as he moved his hands in an uncoordinated and messy manner. The man stared at his hands with a quirked eyebrow.

“Sorry, I don’t know sign language.” The man sheepishly said. 

Link nodded again. A dopey, tired smile was plastered on his face. The man chuckled before handing the boy a piece of paper and a pen. 

‘Wha happen?’

Link’s somewhat neat handwriting devolved into pure chicken scratch. The boy clicked his tongue in displeasure. The man narrowed his eyes in an attempt to read Link’s words.

“ _Oh._ After you were attacked by bitch tits-” 

Link _laughed._ He covered his mouth with a hand as his face turned bright red.

‘You really don’t like her, do you?’

The man scoffed, “Do _you_?”

Link shook his head.

“Thought so. _Anyway,_ Port and Oobleck wanted to call off the match, and I wanted to continue. I bested her, and it took _so_ long to beat her.”

‘What about the kid?’

“What is with you and that lettuce head?” The man asked.

‘Answer my question and maybe I’ll tell you.’

The man rolled his eyes.

“Beat him.” The man replied in a flat tone. His face was devoid of emotion.

Link _instantly_ sat up. He ignored the digging pain in his chest. The boy glared coldly at the man, fists clenching and unclenching. In response, the man held up his hands. He seemed surprised, as his eyes widened and his eyebrows were raised.

“I’m just messing with you. I didn’t hurt him, instead, I forfeit.” The man quickly explained.

Link slowly relaxed.

‘He’s okay. That’s good.’

“Wanna explain how you know him?”

‘Nope.’

Another chuckle.

“Fair enough.”

Link glanced at the man with curiosity.

‘You look like you have something to say.’

“It’s more of a question than a statement.” The man admitted. 

‘Yeah?’

“How can you be such a pussy but have _so_ much balls?” The man incredulously asked. 

‘I’m sorry?’

“You’re a coward. People talk, word gets around. But at the same time, you’re brave as fuck. Fighting a guy who’s twice your size? That shit is awesome!”

Link wasn’t sure if the man was insulting or complimenting him. He nodded again, too confused to even react. The man’s expression slowly changed. Calm indifference morphed into a solemn look.

“It’s clear enough to anyone who has _eyes_ that you’re going through shit. _Heavy_ shit. Whatever happened to you, probably changed you, too, ‘cause I bet you were pretty brave in the past. I have _no_ idea what’s going on with you, but you’ll pull through. Trust me, I’ve been there, too.”

Link smiled. It was small and slightly bitter. Maybe, he could move on. But as of right now? Probably not. 

‘Thank you.’

The man grinned. 

“Just remember, if you _ever_ need back up, don’t be afraid to call on your friends!”

Before the man left, he grabbed the paper and pen in Link’s hands. He wrote down his name and number. ‘ _Ricto. Call me._ ’

Link stared at the paper. He sent the man, Ricto a text message. As he did so, his Scroll buzzed violently. 

**‘Old chat, who dis?: 99+ notifications.’**

Link’s eyes widened in shock. He tapped on the messaging app and rapidly scrolled up.

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** ok so wtf? like we came to the tournament to have a good time but cinder said: ‘oi fucc off, bro, ya don’t even get to have fun, bye bye.’ W H A T.

 **Apple:** ;-; Yeah!! The tournament is supposed to be fun but Cinder’s ruining it! 

**Beauty and the what now?:** That’s the least of our problems. Link...he

 **Icy Mirror:** Yes, Cinder went crazy and brutally attacked Link.

**Link’s Buff Copy has entered Old chat, who dis?.**

**Link’s Buff Copy:** Cinder went crazy. Sorry in advance, but that is such bullshit! I don’t know about you, but Cinder is probably mentally stable.

 **Link’s Buff Copy:** I don’t even care about her. I’m more worried about Link. I mean, he already took a lot of damage cause of that hammer. Then he was straight up stabbed by Cinder.

**Fall(ing) has entered Old chat, who dis?.**

**Fall(ing):** **@Link’s Buff Copy** I’m sure Link will be alright! 

**Link’s Buff Copy:** There was way too much blood. 

**Lie-ing in Ren and Hammer Time entered Old chat, who dis?.**

**Lie-ing in Ren:** Worrying will only cause you to sink deeper into instability. 

**Hammer Time:** Wht Lie said!! Besodes, Linky suoper stron, soooooooo!

 **Link’s Buff Copy:** Thanks, Ren.

 **Lie-ing in Ren:** You’re welcome. If you need anything to calm down, please let me know, Jaune.

 **Link’s Buff Copy:** Are hugs okay?

 **Lie-ing in Ren:** Of course they are.

 **Hammer Time:** HUG HUG HUG HUG!!! :D

 **Apple:** Wait!!! Didn’t Cinder scream that it was Emerald’s fault????

 **Beauty and the what now?:** Do you believe her?

 **Apple:** No way!!! But I have a plan! **@Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets**

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** yeah? 

**Apple:** Add Mercury and Emerald to the chat!!!!! We have to figure this mystery out!

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** got it.

**Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets has added Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai to Old chat, who dis?.**

**Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** yo yo yo, its ya girl Yang!

 **Emerald Sustrai:** What is this?

 **Link’s Buff Copy:** Its a group chat! RWBY and my team are here, plus Link.

 **Mercury Black:** sounds chaotic as shit but okay.

 **Apple:** Swear jar, swear jar!

 **Mercury Black:** lol, guess ill make you rich.

 **Apple:** Heck yeah!

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** RUBY, DID YOU JUST SAY A BAD WORD?!

 **Apple:** Heck isn’t a bad word!!!

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** and im not blonde. lies and slander, sis, lies and SLANDER.

 **Mercury Black:** im fucking dying holy shit. cinder keeps looking at me weird.

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** b4 we censor and discuss that name, lets do something fun.

**Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets has changed Emerald Sustrai’s name to Let’s steal this bread!**

**Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets has changed Mercury Black’s name to Let’s stab this bread!**

**Let’s steal this bread!:** Is this my legacy as a thief? Stealing bread?

 **Let’s stab this bread!:** well, yeah. 

**Let’s steal this bread!:** I hate you.

 **Let’s stab this bread!:** i love you too, honey!! 

**Let’s steal this bread!:** Keep that up and I’ll tell Yajaljsldja;sdj;

 **Icy Mirror:** Emerald? Are you alright?

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** i cant believe Emerald’s dead.

 **Apple:** Guys we have to get serious!!

 **Apple: @Let’s steal this bread!**

**Let’s steal this bread!:** Yeah?

 **Apple:** Cinder blamed you when she hurt Link.

 **Icy Mirror:** Before you think that we believe her over you, we do not. 

**Let’s steal this bread!:** You would believe me?

 **Apple:** Yeah!! We trust you and Mercury!

 **Let’s steal this bread!:** Well I didn’t use my Semblance on her. At all.

 **Beauty and the what now?:** She faked it. Disgusting.

 **Let’s stab this bread!:** she actually WANTED to kill him. Cinder ranted to us about how you guys were stealing us away from her, and how badly she wanted to maim Link.

 **Link’s Buff Copy:** What exactly did she say?

 **Let’s steal this bread!:** Something along the lines of “these brats honestly believe they can help you? They are only lying to you.”

 **Let’s stab this bread!:** otherwise, its bullshit. you guys are way too nice to just lie to our faces.

Link scrolled all the way down.

**Link has entered Old chat, who dis?.**

**Link:** hello. sry i worried everyone.

 **Apple:** Link!!!!! How are you feeling?

 **Link:** sluggish? tired? 

**Icy Mirror:** It must be the pain medication.

 **Link:** oh.

 **Link:** you know, i love all of you.

 **Link:** im happy that i met you. it might not seem like im happy, but im glad i have support.

 **Link:** but im scared, too. scared that ill fail again. scared that history is just going to repeat itself.

 **Link:** i lost people already. it hurts. i didnt get to save them. that makes me sad. but ill be okay. thats my only option. being okay, pretending it doesnt hurt.

 **Link:** i hope it doesnt hurt if any of you die. please dont leave me alone. 

**Link:** but i deserve it. its my fault that so many people died. so maybe being alone is my second option. no one gets hurt. no one dies.

**Link has deleted five messages.**

**Let’s stab this bread!:** holy shit i feel terrible. what in the fuck happened to you???

**Link:** imm k. 

**Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** _fivedeletedtexts.jpg_ Link. 

**Link:** im okay. 

**Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** You don’t have to deal with this by yourself! We’re here for a reason! 

**Link:** I have and I will. 

**Apple:** But Link...we’re your friends! We want to help you, so please let us in. 

**Beauty and the what now?:** Being vulnerable doesn’t make you weak.

 **Link:** Vulnerability is not what I’m afraid of. 

**Let’s steal this bread!:** Is it because we’re here now?

 **Link:** If you or Mercury were added to this months ago, my answer would be yes. Now? I don’t know.

 **Let’s stab this bread!:** we aren’t going to tell Cinder.

 **Link:** Doesn’t matter. I’m fine. 

**Fall(ing):** Venting is a good way to relieve stress, Link.

 **Link:** To other people?

 **Fall(ing):** Yes! It might make you feel better!

 **Icy Mirror:** And we will listen to you, no matter what.

 **Link:** I won’t tell you everything.

 **Apple:** That’s okay!

 **Link:** Okay.

 **Link:** There was a war I was “drafted” in. I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t fight in that war, thousands would die. Four of my friends joined, too. They had a choice but were obligated to fight. We trained for months. Our leader, a princess was the only one who could “stop” the war but she couldn’t activate her Semblance.

 **Link:** And then, after months of “peaceful” silence, the world went to shit. Haha. Everyone died. I ran with the princess, trying to avoid being seen. Trying not to look at bodies. She told me. Our four friends died, just like that.

 **Link:** That was okay. It was bound to happen.

**Link:** Soldiers caught up to us. They had really simple but very powerful weapons. Haha. Well. I gave my life up to protect her. Took the hit that was meant for her. 

**Link:** Then, I died. I think? Or I was dying. Or sleeping for a while. Woke up with no memory of anything, really. Hahaha. 

**Link:** They called me a hero. That’s a nice joke, haha. 

**Link:** Heroes are supposed to save people, right? That’s what they do, right?

 **Link:** It’s too bad that I’m a sad excuse for one.

 **Link:** Pyrrha, I think you lied. I don’t feel better. 

**Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** Holy fuckids sht

 **Princess in the sheets, Brawler in the streets:** What the duc? Link, wtf. No thats fucking terrible.

 **Link:** It’s okay.

 **Apple:** It isn’t!!! How long did you have this bottled up?

 **Link:** Years?

 **Beauty and the what now?:** Link, didn’t you say you dealt with this by yourself?

 **Link:** Yeah. 

**Let’s stab this bread!:** i officially regret doubting that any of you have suffered.

 **Link:** It’s okay, you didn’t know.

 **Let’s stab this bread!:** oh fuck i just realized something. you called yourself a monster. is it because of..? 

**Link:** Yep! I failed, and because of that, people died! So I wasn’t wrong, Mercury. I have a world’s worth of blood on my hands! Haha.

 **Lie-ing in Ren:** You shouldn’t blame yourself, especially since it wasn’t your fault to begin with.

 **Link:** Okay.

 **Icy Mirror:** I’m scared to even ask, but how old were you?

 **Link:** 16? 17? It’s hard to remember.

 **Icy Mirror:** That’s rather young.

 **Beauty and the what now?:** And illegal.

 **Beauty and the what now?:** Why would a 16-17 year old be drafted into a war? That’s way too young. You have to be at LEAST 18.

 **Icy Mirror:** Yes, 18 is the legal age to enlist in a war.

 **Lie-ing in Ren:** You were a child soldier? That’s…

 **Link’s Buff Copy:** Wait. What war was this?

Link didn’t respond.

 **Fall(ing):** I’m so sorry, Link.

 **Link:** Why are you apologizing?

 **Fall(ing):** What you went through must have been so horrifying. You don’t deserve any pain.

 **Link:** Lol. It’s an endless cycle. Pain is unavoidable, besides I need it to atone for the things I did and didn’t do. It’s only fair.

**Link has changed their name to Become attached, and it’s goodbye.**

**Become attached, and it’s goodbye has left Old chat, who dis?.**

Link ignored the buzzing from his Scroll. 

The boy still didn’t tell them everything. That was okay. He was sure that they had more questions. That was bad.

To calm his frazzled nerves and heavy heart, Link turned on the small TV. The mindless chatter from the TV became background noise. The Hylian blankly stared at the screen. 

Link eventually realized what he was watching. The tournament.

* * *

The shattered moon gave way to a somewhat cloudy night. Although the moon served as a beacon, a foreboding and dreadful sense came with it. The crowd cheered, blissfully unaware. The sportscasters announced the final round with glee. Hidden away was their growing fear and speculation. 

The arena no longer had biomes. The ground was smoothly tiled and flat. It was white. The whole arena was lit up by white lights. 

Professor Port and Oobleck rambled on, calling Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black into the arena.

Mercury smirked at Yang. It was cocky and full of arrogance. The blonde grinned back. Her expression was playful. The boy’s smirk faltered. Yang gave him a confused glance. He shrugged it off.

“Hey, Blondie, you better not hold back, alright?” Mercury taunted.

“Me? Holding back? If you think I’ll pull my punches, you got another thing coming!” Yang shot back.

Another smirk was plastered on his face. It was _much_ different from his previous expression. The smirk he wore toed the line of a full blown grin. Yang smiled brightly at the pure joy on Mercury’s face.

“I _almost_ don’t want to punch your face in.” Yang commented.

“What, you’re giving up, already?” Mercury snarked with a laugh.

“Nope! You just have a nice smile.” Yang admitted.

Mercury’s reaction was instantaneous. A faint blush colored his cheeks. He looked away from Yang, embarrassed. He took a breath to avoid stuttering.

“Let’s just fight.” Mercury weakly said.

Yang nodded. The blonde charged at Mercury. The girl aimed a fist at his face. The boy swiftly grabbed her outstretched arm. He twisted her arm back and threw her on the ground. She grunted in pain. Yang fired an explosive shot. The boy side stepped, then went in for a kick. Yang rolled out of the way. She got up. The girl fired another explosive shot, only for the boy to dodge again. Yang threw out a fake punch to Mercury’s side.

The boy chuckled.

“I’m not stupid, Blondie.” Mercury retorted with an easy going grin.

He took the hit. The boy did a roundhouse kick to Yang’s chest. Bullets fired from his boots. The girl blocked. She elbowed his left leg out of the way. Yang hissed in pain and rubbed her elbow. Mercury rose an eyebrow. The girl rushed towards Mercury, keeping her guard up. The blonde pulled her right arm back. She unleashed a harsh right hook to Mercury’s side. The boy easily caught her forearm.

“That punch was _way_ too wide, _Blondie._ ”

“You’re just good at reacting!” Yang deflected.

Mercury shrugged. He didn’t take the opportunity to retaliate. He let go of Yang’s arm. The boy tapped his cheek with a smirk.

“I’ll give you a chance, this time. Try and hit me!” Mercury taunted.

“A chance?!” Yang yelled.

“Yep, a free pass to hit me.” Mercury replied.

Irritation sparked in her eyes.

“I _don’t_ want a free pass, Mercury.”

Yang attempted to grab the boy with no success, he simply side stepped. Yang growled in frustration.

“What? You said you didn’t want a free pass.” Mercury said with a grin. 

Yang’s eyes turned blood red. Mercury grinned.

“Relying on your anger is gonna get you in trouble.” Mercury scolded. He wagged his index finger in a condescending manner.

Yang moved her arms towards the ground. She rapidly fired explosive shots and practically flew into the air. The girl crashed onto the ground. The fighting grounds cracked under Yang’s fists. As more pressure was applied to the ground, the tiles broke apart and formed a crater. Mercury slipped. Yang slammed her left fist into Mercury’s chest. As the hit connected, she fired several shots. The boy tumbled onto the ground. 

Yang ran up to Mercury. The boy did a handstand, then a breakdance. His legs struck Yang’s right hip. She was briefly knocked down. Mercury sauntered over to Yang. Before the boy could even say a thing, Yang swiftly did a kip up. Mercury did a low sweeping kick, causing Yang to fall back down. She hissed a swear through clenched teeth.

Mercury laughed at her. Yang snarled in anger. The boy raised his right leg. He let it crash down on Yang’s chest. The impact was harsh, but not quite deadly. The boy’s boot dug into Yang’s clothes. Just as he went in for another kick, Yang fired another shot. It stunned him for a moment, allowing Yang to get up. 

Yang sent a flurry of punches Mercury’s way. He blocked each and every one. Fed up, the girl activated her Semblance. She unleashed an uppercut straight to his jaw. The insane impact sent Mercury flying upwards. The boy recovered within seconds. He fired several shots from his boots. Yang dodged some of the bullets.

Mercury landed on the balls of his feet. He stood up. As Yang raced across the arena to get closer to him, the boy tripped her once again. He grabbed her right leg and threw her onto the ground. Mercury leaned forward, almost trapping the girl in place. The boy caught Yang’s incoming punch. The sound of his voice stopped the blonde in her tracks. It was quiet yet firm. A warning.

“Blame Cinder.” Mercury whispered.

Mercury got off of her, locking eyes with Emerald. From the stands, he saw Cinder and Emerald sitting in the front row. Cinder smirked at the petrified Emerald, who tearfully activated her Semblance. 

Yang’s eyes widened in shock. She was instantly on guard. The girl blocked as if something or someone attacked her. Yang sent a brutal punch to Mercury’s left leg. 

His Aura fizzled out, a wave of broken white energy passed over his body. He fell onto the ground. Mercury howled in pain, screaming and sobbing. He held onto his leg as he curled into himself. 

“ _My **leg**_!” Mercury screeched. 

Yang took a step back. The girl swallowed thickly, unable to say a thing. Her lilac eyes appeared to be colorless, horrified.

“You’re crazy. You’re _fucking_ crazy!” Mercury yelled as he trembled in what looked like fear.

“I-”

Mercury stared at Yang with fresh tears in his eyes. His expression was completely blank. Over the roar of boos from the crowd, Mercury’s voice was crystal clear. 

“Forgive Emerald. _Please._ ” Mercury croaked.

Shock and realization painted her already terrified face. Her mouth slightly hung open.

“She-”

The same Atlesian soldiers from before swarmed Yang. Emerald rushed to Mercury’s side. Within the sea of soldiers, the girl met Yang’s eyes. The blonde’s expression was grim. She gave a firm nod to Emerald. Emerald looked on in confusion. As the soldiers aimed their guns at Yang’s head, she shouted. The girl covered for Emerald, using what she “saw” as the truth.

“He attacked me, I swear!”

Yang glanced back at Emerald, mouthing ‘Call me.’

The soldiers took her away as paramedics came to the scene. They soothed the “injured” Mercury, giving him encouragement and reassurance.

Yang was sent back to Beacon Academy.

* * *

Yang sighed, sitting on her messy bunk bed. An hour or so ago, Ironwood and her teammates stormed their dorm. The general grilled her with questions and in the end, Yang and her team was disqualified. He claimed it was just to be safe. Just so the public wouldn’t scream in louder outrage. Even though Yang reluctantly stood her ground, telling him what she saw, he acknowledged it but still made a decision. 

Her three teammates were worried. Instead of harsh questioning, they were curious and frightful. They stood up for her, as well.

When Ironwood left the room, Yang revealed the truth to team RWBY. Emerald used her Semblance on the blonde. She also mentioned the warning Mercury gave her, too. Her team, of course were shocked. It quickly turned into _anger._ Ruby was mildly upset, pouting and huffing. Weiss shown ice cold anger, a few glares here and there; the girl ranted. Blake was _pissed,_ citing at the injustice of Cinder’s actions. 

Not once did they blame Emerald or Mercury. Not once did they disbelieve Yang’s claim. 

Her teammates hugged her before leaving.

Yang’s Scroll rang. She hummed along to her ringtone. She tapped the call button.

“Hey Yang.” Emerald quietly said.

“Hey.” Yang replied, out of energy.

“I’m sorry.” Emerald whispered. 

“For?” 

Yang must have sounded curt, because Emerald fumbled around, going silent.

“I used my Semblance. On you. You were kicked out of the tournament because of me! So, it’s-”

“Emerald, cut that crap out. It’s _not_ your fault.”

More silence. Yang filled it within seconds.

“Did you even have a choice?”

“No. Even if I refused, Cinder would have,” Emerald paused, taking a shaky breath, “nevermind.”

Yang sighed.

“Trust me when I say this, I am, for once, not angry. I’m _not_ upset at you, hell, I don’t even _blame_ you. Like you said, you didn’t have a choice. It was do it or die, right?”

Emerald seemed to have processed her words, going quiet once again. Yang sighed. It was more frustrated than before.

“Damn, I _really_ dislike her. Can’t we do something about her?”

“No. Don’t.”

“Why?”

“You’re already doing enough! Besides, you’ve seen how _strong_ she is, right?”

“I don’t care! She hurt other people like it doesn’t even matter! She- she _uses_ you and Merc and if we weren’t nosy or stupidly _kind,_ you two would’ve- damn it! _Emerald,_ we gotta do something.”

“I _know._ It took me a long time to realize that she wasn’t best person, but like I said, you’ve done _enough._ Because we are inching towards your side, Cinder is getting more than upset. She _despises_ you all, she’s scared of losing us for the wrong reasons. You’re chipping away at her. She’s lashing out more, getting more violent and ‘sweet’ in the hopes that we won’t leave.”

“But-”

“ _But,_ what you’re doing for us now is enough. I never had a chance to make friends. And then, one day, you and your weird teammates decided that we could be friends. I had to be tough. I was living on the _streets_ for years. Then, I met you all. I didn’t have to be tough around you. I didn’t have to be Emerald the fearsome thief, I could be myself.”

“Emerald-” Yang cooed.

“I’m not done!” Emerald fussed.

“Okay, okay!” Yang said with a laugh.

“Merc’s changing, too. Back then, he was _really_ closed off. Pretty angry and scary, too. He didn’t smile or laugh until he got comfortable with me. That took _months._ Once we talked to your team, he was skeptical. It’s not hard to understand why. A bunch of kids telling him that he’s loved and supported? So, of course his skepticism turned into anger the second time we hung out. Then, he opened up.”

Emerald took a breath and continued, “For the very first time, I saw him bawl his eyes out. I saw him be loved and accepted by other people. _Thank_ you, so much.”

Yang smiled.

“You’re welcome, Em!” Yang chirped.

Emerald giggled. The serious conversation derailed into idle chatter and puns. Their call was interrupted by none other than Mercury Black.

“Hey, give that back, idiot!” Emerald hissed.

“I wanna talk to Blondie, so no can do.”

“Merc!”

“Suddenly, I’m going deaf.” Mercury mused.

Yang laughed hard at the duo’s light hearted bickering. 

“Hey, Merc! Sorry about your leg.”

Although her greeting was bright like the sun, her apology was sincere and somber.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You sure? You kinda took a shotgun fist to the leg.” Yang worriedly said.

Mercury laughed at that.

“Really, it’s no big deal. I’ll be able to walk in a couple of days.”

“That’s great! Phew.”

“Were you _really_ that worried about me?” Mercury snorted.

“Yes, yes I was. You’re my _friend,_ of course I’m gonna get worried if you’re hurt!”

Emerald laughed at the boy.

“You’re _blushing._ ” Emerald teased.

“Shut up!” Mercury sputtered.

“Is somebody embarrassed?” Yang joined in.

“Not you, too!” Mercury groaned.

Yang did her best evil mastermind laugh. Mercury chuckled at her horrible impression. Their laughter died down a few minutes later.

“Hey, Merc?” Yang called.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think the both of you could stay with us after the tournament?” Yang asked.

“That’s a death wish, so I don’t know.”

“Sorry. I just hate this! Neither of you deserve to deal with her! Maybe it’s too soon or maybe I’m too impulsive, but I want you to _stay_! I want to keep eating ice cream with you, I want to keep insulting Cinder with you, I want to see you smile, again! I hate saying this, I really do, but this isn’t fair!”

“I want- I mean- staying with you guys,” Mercury paused, “that’s something I’d want to do, but that’s a pipe dream. As long as Cinder-”

“ _Fuck_ Cinder! It’s up to you, isn’t it?!”

“I-”

“Mercury! Emerald, too! Promise us, when you find a chance to leave, _take_ it.”

“I can’t make em-”

“I _don’t_ care! It doesn’t matter if it’s an empty promise!”

“Well, what do you say, Emerald?”

“We’ll see.” Emerald meekly responded.

“Alright. I hope you guys can stay with us, soon.” Yang softly replied.

“Yeah. Oh, shi- We gotta go!” Mercury yelled.

Mercury abruptly hung up. Yang resisted the urge to punch a wall. Instead, she paced around the room. Her footsteps were heavy with pent up irritation and rage. 

The blonde stopped once she heard the door open. She turned to see her uncle waltz into the room. Qrow leaned against Blake’s bed frame. The man offered a small smile to Yang as he crossed his arms.

“Heard you broke a leg, firecracker.” Qrow joked.

Yang stayed silent for a moment. She stared at the ground, clenching her fist. The blonde let out an angry, ragged sigh. She shrugged.

“Hey, hey, it was a joke, Yang.” Qrow said, trying to calm her down.

“It wasn’t very _punny._ ” Yang flatly replied.

The girl sounded drained. 

Yang’s mind floated to Mercury’s words. 

“ _You’re_ fucking _crazy_!”

The brawler figured out that he was _acting._ Pretending. He sounded like a cornered animal. Frightened. But the blank look on his face a second later proved that he wasn’t afraid.

Qrow snorted, as if what she said was funny. A moment later and his expression changed. He looked serious.

“So, why’d you attack that kid?”

“Saw stuff. Thought he was gonna attack _me._ ”

Qrow uncrossed his arms. The man sighed deeply. Just as he began to speak, Yang cut him off.

“Uncle Qrow, is there something wrong with me?”

Qrow _stopped._ His head snapped towards Yang. Poorly hidden concern was plastered all over his face.

“ _No._ You’re angry, impulsive and sometimes aggressive but you are _not_ crazy, Yang.” Qrow reasoned.

“It feels like it.” Yang said with a hollow laugh.

“Wanna talk about it?” Qrow offered.

“No, but I want to talk about mom.”

Qrow practically choked. The concern he had morphed into pure shock. The man dug his hands into his pockets.

“What about her?”

“I saw mom, I think. I was fighting this girl and I got beat pretty hard. I was knocked out, but when I woke up, the girl vanished. A red and black portal showed up, and I think mom did, too.” Yang stuttered.

Qrow didn’t respond.

“I saw her sword. The one in you and dad’s picture.”

“That was Raven, all right. Knowing her, she probably didn’t say a word.” Qrow mused.

“So that _was_ her? Why didn’t she say anything?! Why did she _leave_ again?”

Qrow sighed, looking away from her, “While I _can_ answer that, I’m sure you’d want to hear it from _her._ But that’s not the point right now. The last time we saw each other, she wanted me to relay something to you.”

“What is it?” Yang asked. Her tone toed the line of anger.

“Raven saved you twice and she doesn’t believe in ‘third time’s the charm.’ So if you get in trouble again, don’t expect her to swoop in and save you.”

“Is there something _else_?” 

“Good news. If you wanna track her down, I might be able to help.”

* * *

Mercury sat in a chair with his left leg propped up against a gray table. His pant leg was rolled up past his knee. The boy double checked his prosthetic leg for any loose screws or bolts. He sighed once he found about twelve. With his right hand, he picked up a screwdriver that lay on the table. 

“Damn, Yang did a number on me.” Mercury said.

Emerald glanced at him, stopping her anxious pacing. Mercury, in turn, eyed the Scroll in her hands. When Emerald didn’t reply to his statement, he spoke again.

“You gonna call her yet?”

“Soon.” Emerald nervously responded.

“Don’t be so scared, Em, it’s _just_ Yang.”

“I know! But if I call her and she starts getting angry-”

“Yang has a short fuse, but she isn’t _stupid._ She ain't gonna curse you out the second you call her.”

“Right.” Emerald softly replied.

“If you’re still being a scaredy cat, go watch TV to calm yourself down.”

Emerald did what Mercury suggested. She mindlessly flipped through the channels. It settled on a local news channel. Of course, the newscasters covered the tournament.

“The Vytal Festival Tournament has reached a devastating new low. From a brutal show of power, a small breach, a near teammate killing, and last but not least cloning with a dash of murder.”

“Terrible, terrible stuff, Paula. But, I believe our famed news reporter Ness could figure out these mysteries.”

The reporter, Ness was now on screen, nodding away with a serious expression. 

“Alright, folks. I can’t solve these so called mysteries alone, so instead, I’ll see what the public has to say!”

Ness encountered a fussy bystander.

“Hello ma’am! Have you been following the tournament?”

“Yes! This year’s tournament is absolutely _horrible!_ ”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Like, okay, it starts out _totally_ normal, y’know? But it goes to shit _literally_ a second later, like _huh?_ This _one_ lady, Cinder, I think, kinda just stabbed her teammate.”

Ness nodded, mouthing an ‘okay.’

“Then again, I don’t think the guy who got stabbed is qualified to fight?”

“How so?”

“He, like, doesn’t have Aura which puts him at, like, an obvious disadvantage. The kid didn’t even show off his Semblance! All he has are swords!”

“I see.”

“But what’s worse is that Cinder didn’t get disqualified! That blonde Beacon Academy student did. Isn’t that weird?” 

The channel cut to the next person he found. A tired looking man. 

“Hello, hello! My name’s Ness and I got some tournament _bound_ questions for ya!”

“Hello.” 

The man’s voice was gruff.

“If you’ve been watching the tournament, what were some of its craziest moments?”

“The fact that they would allow dirty animals to fight other humans.”

Ness’ pitch black eyes widened in disbelief.

“Uh, you got any other answers? Preferably ones that aren’t, uh, racist?”

“That kid with the pointed ears.”

“What about him?”

The channel censored his response, leaving behind a _very_ startled and disgruntled looking Ness. Thankfully, the wacky yet upbeat news reporter found someone else to question.

“I think the scariest part of the tournament was when the portal showed up! _Anything_ could’ve come out of it!”

“Like what?”

“A massive Grimm! Now _that_ would be scary!” 

Another cut, another person.

“That clone thing was pretty weird. Scratch that, _very_ weird. Shooting and killing _yourself_ is just super creepy.”

The last person Ness questioned ranted about Yang and her actions.

Emerald turned the TV off. She called the blonde. Before Cinder calmly entered the room, Mercury cut the call short. The woman smirked as she greeted the two.

“You both did _so_ well.” Cinder cooed.

Neither of them responded. Cinder scoffed.

“What are we gonna do next?” Mercury asked in a disinterested tone.

“Simply watch the next match, Mercury.”

Cinder opened her Scroll, revealing a blueprint of Penny Polendina. The very first android with Aura. Cinder swiped left, showing the upcoming match. The woman wore a cunning grin. 

The match was definitely rigged. 

**‘Singles Round!’**

**‘Beacon’s Last Hope: Pyrrha Nikos vs Atlas’ Penny Polendina!’**

“Did you do something?” Emerald asked.

“Of _course_ I did, what kind of stupid question is that?”

Another question was on the tip of Emerald’s tongue.

“Before you even bother to ask, I _borrowed_ this lovely blueprint from Ironwood.” 

“Oh.” Emerald replied.

“But all _you_ have to do, Emerald, is listen to me one last time.”

* * *

“We apologize for that last match, viewers! I do hope we can make it up by presenting the next match.” Professor Port exclaimed. 

“Yes, yes indeed! Gear up for Beacon’s Greatest, Pyrrha Nikos _verses_ a girl with many talents, Penny Polendina!” Oobleck yelled.

The two girls entered the ring. They were met with wary silence from the crowd. Penny cheerfully greeted the redhead. Pyrrha offered a small, uneasy smile.

“Don’t worry, friend, I’m combat ready!” Penny reassured.

“I don’t doubt your skills, I’m just unsure of things.”

Penny tilted her head to the side. She placed her left hand under her chin in thought.

“Why’s that?” Penny innocently asked.

Pyrrha didn’t answer. Penny walked up to the troubled girl and hugged her.

“Ruby once said that hugs are good. They make a sad person feel better!” Penny said. 

Pyrrha chuckled, hugging Penny back.

“Thank you, Penny.”

Penny let go and grinned. The girl jumped with anticipation.

“Let’s start!” Penny cheered.

Pyrrha nodded reluctantly. 

Four of Penny’s swords “floated” around the orange haired girl. Pyrrha readied her own weapon. Penny directed her swords with an outstretched right hand. They were launched towards Pyrrha. The girl blocked two incoming swords with her shield. Penny twirled her right hand as she held two fingers up. The last two blades circled around Pyrrha, then changed directions. One of swords attempted to wrap itself around Pyrrha’s left wrist. While the other blade went for Pyrrha’s back. 

Pyrrha used her Semblance to move them out of the way. She then redirected the blades towards their wielder. Penny looked on in amazement. The impressed girl _almost_ forgot to block. The orange haired girl deflected the blades by releasing more from her backpack. She spun the new blades in a rapid circle.

Penny leapt forward then crouched to the ground. As she stood up, the girl put her arms out. Penny kept her fingers close together and did a wave motion with both arms. The girl’s swords shot out like arrows. Fast and efficient. Four conjoined blades hit the ground only to bolt back up. The wires from the other blades curved above Penny’s body. 

Pyrrha eyed the swords, then narrowed her eyes at Penny. The four swords charged towards the redhead. Pyrrha jumped on them and used her Semblance. The blades, including Pyrrha zoomed towards Penny. The orange haired girl backflipped, narrowly avoiding the strike. Pyrrha threw her javelin into the air. Penny glanced at the weapon in confusion. 

Pyrrha used her Semblance on her shield. The black energy caused it to bend unnaturally for a split second. The shield barreled towards Penny. It hit her in the stomach. The girl blinked. The blades above Penny chased after Pyrrha. Pyrrha jumped off the blades, using her Semblance to get her shield. In retaliation, the redhead blocked each sword with the golden shield.

Penny moved her arms, sending the blades behind her. With a wave of an arm, the blades transformed into rifles. They fired quickly. The girl burst forward like a speeding car. Penny crashed into Pyrrha, knocking her down. 

Pyrrha stood up. Penny’s swords circled around. Four of them stuck close to her in a small, slow rotation. The other four were more spread out. They spun erratically. Penny clapped softly.

From the stands, Emerald peered down at Pyrrha. She _had_ to do this.

* * *

Ruby left the stands before the match was even announced. The young team leader saw _Emerald_ in the crowd. Her new friends, including Cinder were supposed to be back at Mistral! That left Ruby confused and just a little scared.

Wanting to get to the bottom of this, she ran towards the exit tunnel. The brick walls were mostly gray with a single green stripe. The girl spotted a door labeled with a yellow maintenance sign. She looked around, checking if anyone else was there. The girl sighed in relief and opened the door.

Mercury was on the other side. He leaned against the wall to Ruby’s right. The boy raised his head and slowly looked her over. 

“Looking _scared,_ Ruby?” Mercury mocked.

Ruby took a step back. The empty look in his eyes and the devious smirk on his face terrified her. Even so, she met his eyes. The girl asked a question of her own.

“What are you and Emerald still doing here?”

Mercury shook his head as he shrugged. 

“I didn’t think you’d be _that_ dumb.”

“I’m not dumb!” Ruby retorted.

Mercury ignored her and laughed. It was cold and condescending. 

“Come on. Someone like _me_ being friends with _you?_ What kind of world are you living in?”

Ruby frowned. Her eyebrows furrowed.

“You’re _lying!_ We _are_ friends.”

Mercury snorted. 

The announcers’ voices were muffled behind the brick walls. They revealed the fighters. Dread seeped through Ruby’s veins. Her silver eyes widened in realization.

“Aww, what’s _wrong,_ Ruby?” Mercury taunted.

“Stop acting like this!” Ruby screamed.

“Like _what_?” Mercury asked with a smirk.

Ruby’s frown deepened. If she continued to talk to Mercury, the conversation would keep going in circles. Frustrated, Ruby activated her Semblance. She dashed forward. As she ran past Mercury, the boy tightly gripped her hood. He pulled her down. Ruby yelped. Before the short girl could get back up, Mercury lightly placed his right foot on Ruby’s chest. The boy gave her a malicious grin.

Ruby reached for Crescent Rose. She paled. It wasn’t on her. Mercury noticed this and mocked her.

“Mercury, what are you doing?” Ruby asked in a trembling voice.

“Doing what I’m _good_ at.” Mercury flatly replied.

Terror painted her pale face. The boy faked a smile.

“I don’t know about you, but I’d _hate_ to kill a person who won’t fight back. It’s not very fun.”

Ruby didn’t know what to do. Without Crescent Rose, she was a downright _terrible_ fighter. No matter how many times Yang or her dad taught her how to throw a punch, the young leader just couldn’t do it. She would flail and nearly trip. Her dad and Yang _always_ caught her.

The girl was up against an assassin. Her _friend._ In a _real_ fight. No sparring, no practice match. 

Ruby didn’t know what to _do._

The team leader was defenseless. She couldn’t fight, run or even scream. No one would hear her if she tried.

While her terrified mind ran in circles, Mercury removed his foot.

“Get up.”

Ruby very slowly rose to her feet. The boy stared at her. With a lopsided, devilish grin, Mercury brandished a knife from his pants pocket and waved it around. Warning bells rang in her head.

Fight. Run.

_Run. Live._

_**Run. Die.** _

Mercury lunged towards her. The small girl let out a shriek as she raised her hands to her face. Ruby flinched. She closed her eyes tightly. The knife clattered to the floor. Ruby hesitantly opened her eyes. The young team leader found herself trapped between Mercury and a wall. Mercury’s right hand was right above her head. 

“Mercury?” Ruby timidly called.

The boy in question looked away from her. He removed his hand from the wall, putting it in his pocket. 

“Is it too late to say I was just joking?” Mercury softly asked.

“You weren’t going to-” Ruby cut herself off, unable to finish her sentence.

“No, so stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Ruby echoed.

Mercury sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“You look terrified of me. I’ve seen that look plenty of times before. I didn’t let it bother me, but now? I hate seeing it.” Mercury admitted.

Ruby blinked. Her once frightend face bloomed with stars and happiness. The girl placed a firm fist to her chest. Ruby furrowed her eyebrows as she grinned. She lightly pushed Mercury away and pointed at him.

Mercury rose an eyebrow.

“I _was_ scared! I was scared because I thought Cinder got to you, I thought I had to _fight_ you. But, I’m not scared anymore because we’re friends, Mercury!” Ruby declared.

“You _really_ are an idiot.” Mercury replied with a soft smile on his face. He sounded fond or endeared.

“No, I’m not!” Ruby childishly defended.

Mercury laughed.

“Don’t worry, I’m stupid, too.”

Ruby gave him a quizzical look.

“I had to stall for time. Cinder’s orders.”

Ruby’s eyes widened in grim understanding.

“Penny!” Ruby exclaimed. 

Mercury let her run past him. He winced when he heard Ruby wail. The boy carefully yet silently walked up to her. The girl fell onto the floor, her hands were planted on the ground. She hung her head, sobbing quietly. Ruby mumbled her friend’s name. A dark part of Mercury wanted to laugh at her. It wanted to tell her that Penny didn’t matter. 

But then, he remembered Fluffy and held his tongue. The boy looked onwards. Cinder’s plan went well. Mercury felt oddly bitter about that. 

He saw a horrified Pyrrha tremble, covering her mouth as her eyes darted around. She tried to avoid looking at Penny. The girl failed and froze up. 

Penny laid on the arena floor. Her head was turned to the side, staring directly into Ruby’s tearful silver eyes. Her body, arms and legs were evenly split apart, revealing her secret to the world. Wires, gears and fading green lights stuck out of her body. Electricity sparked inside her arms and legs. Her swords lay around her like a broken halo.

On shaky legs, Ruby burst forward. She stood in front of Penny, leaving a trail of rose petals on the floor. The team leader crumbled, falling down. She clutched onto Penny like a lifeline. The orange haired girl recognized Ruby. Penny slowly smiled. Ruby thought she heard gears clicking together.

“Sal-Sal-u-tations, Ruby.” Penny’s voice stuttered, speeding up and slowing erratically. It sounded mechanical. _Flat._

“Hi, Penny.” Ruby shakily replied.

Penny smiled a bit wider as she blinked. It made an audible clicking sound.

“Please don’t cry, Ruby. You should smile, okay?”

“But you’re-”

“I know. I’m happy, though. I met wonderful people like you! I just wish- wish- I could have done fun friend things with you.”

“Like braiding each other's hair and telling stories?” Ruby asked, trying not to sob.

“Yes! Can you tell me a bedtime story? Father used to tell me great stories!” Penny’s voice fizzled in and out like static.

Ruby told her a story of a lonely knight who wandered off to find friends. One by one, the sad little knight found amazing friends. In the end, the knight was happy. Penny cheered. The orange haired girl’s finger twitched. A sword was sloppily dragged towards Ruby. 

“Can you promise me something, Ruby?” Penny asked.

“What is it?”

Penny eyed the sword next to Ruby’s skirt. She looked back at Ruby’s wobbly smile. The orange haired girl smiled brightly.

“Please, let’s be friends forever!”

Penny’s smile was slowly wiped away. Her pupils turned dark green as they expanded. The girl’s irises resembled a camera shutter. The lights from her body flickered out. The electricity stopped.

Ruby _sobbed._

“I promise. I promise!” Ruby croaked.

The young girl grabbed Penny’s sword. She tightened her grip on the hilt. Ruby met Pyrrha’s eyes. 

“I’m so-”

“It’s not your fault.”

Pyrrha and Ruby stumbled as the platform was lowered. The sportscasters shouted over each other, unable to cut the broadcast. All but one of the display screens had a black queen chess piece. The background was tinted red while the foreground had a broken chain link fence. The remaining screen had a single black letter in a gothic font. ‘S.’

A familiar voice rang through the speakers. Cinder. Her voice was heavily modified, making it seem high pitched. Ruby and Pyrrha grimaced. 

“Make no mistake, this was _not_ an accident. _This_ is what happens when you place your faith in fools who run a show. You, your family, your _children_ will suffer at the hands of terrible people who think they know what’s best for _us._ Our prestigious Academies Headmasters have _more_ power than Atlas’ army, and one was arrogant enough to control both.”

General Ironwood got up from his seat and marched up the steps. 

“They fight for an ideal called _peace,_ and yet here we are. Atlas’ attempt at creating a synthetic army was brutally torn apart by Beacon Academy’s star pupil. Why would Atlas create such a thing? An android soldier disguised as an innocent little girl?”

“And what the hell is Ozpin teaching _his_ students?”

Ruby tried desperately to tune the woman out.

“So, I ask you. When the first shots are fired, who can you trust?”

The display screens’ images were replaced with static. The sound of a wailing alarm cut through the arena. A robotic voice blared on the speakers.

“Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner.”

The crowds did not. They began to flee, pushing and screaming, in an attempt to reach the exit tunnel.

* * *

Link grit his teeth. He heard growling outside. The boy ripped the thin tubes from his arms. He retrieved his weapons and other personal items before heading out the door. Link gaped at the _massive_ amount of Grimm around the fairgrounds. He quickly spotted a young woman who was surrounded by Beowolves. 

Link turned his dual swords into a crossbow. He nocked an arrow and shot it at a Beowolf’s feet. The Beowolf immediately noticed him. It howled, alerting the nearby Grimm. Ten monsters came to its aid. The boy glanced at the scared woman. He flicked his head up, hoping she would get the message. The woman scrambled to her feet and ran. Link refocused on the Grimm. Two Beowolves lunged at him. The boy backflipped, perfectly dodging the attack. Time slowed down as Link rapidly swung the bladed crossbow into one of the Grimm’s head. The monster dissolved into ash. 

The other Beowolf growled at him. It circled around Link before sinking its fangs into his left leg. The boy grunted in pain. He tried to kick the Beowolf off. In retaliation, it dug its claws around Link’s leg. The Hylian nearly fell over. Link nocked an ice arrow and aimed for its head. He shot the arrow, watching as a thick sheet ice formed over the Grimm. Link stabbed the monster’s chest. The ice shattered with a trace of ash. 

An Ursa charged at Link. The boy turned his crossbow back into swords. He grabbed his shield from his back as he sheathed one of his swords. Link parried the bear-like monster’s incoming attack. The Ursa shook its head. It was stunned. The boy summoned the round Remote Bomb. He chucked the glowing bomb at the Ursa. He detonated the bomb. The Ursa growled as Link rushed towards it. The boy embedded the blade into the Grimm’s right front leg. The hulking monster slashed its claws into Link’s stomach. The Hylian screamed as he crashed into a wall. He slumped onto the ground. Before the Ursa could continue its attack, Link used Stasis+.

The Ursa froze in its tracks. Link let out a pained gasp. The gashes along his leg and stomach stung. The boy tried to ignore it. He used Magnesis on his scimitar and jabbed the blade into the Ursa’s body. Once Stasis+ deactivated, the Grimm was sent flying into various other monsters. The impact caused five Grimm and the Ursa to turn into ash. Link frowned. The remaining Grimm howled. As the Beowolves crept closer, Link used Magnesis to fend them off. When that stopped working, he briefly surrendered his body to Urbosa. The Gerudo smirked.

_Urbosa! Use your lightning and stun the Grimm!_

Urbosa snapped her fingers. Tiny green sparks crackled on the ground, chasing after the monsters. They were instantly electrocuted. 

_‘I don’t think it’s wise to use us when you’re injured, Link.’_ Urbosa scolded.

_I’ll be fine, don’t worry!_

_‘Sure, voe.’_

Link regained control of his body. He shakily smiled when he realized the Grimm faded into ash. His ears twitched as he heard the unmistakable sound of Weiss’ and Blake’s Semblances. His eyes followed the current fight the duo was in. He also noticed two gray lockers sticking out of the ground. The locker doors were wide open. 

“Link! What are you _doing_?!” Weiss exclaimed in disbelief.

After the two girls defeated another horde of Grimm, they ran over to him.

“What in the world are you thinking? You’re _injured_ and you’re out here _fighting._ ” Blake said in exasperation. 

Link only smiled in response. Weiss and Blake gave the boy a pointed look. A moment passed and Blake paled.

“Blake what’s the matter?” Weiss asked.

The Faunus pointed at the darkened sky in fear. Multiple gray airships with the White Fang insignia flew in the air. A compartment in several ships opened up, and Grimm began to fall out. 

Weiss’ icy blue eyes widened in realization.

“They’re heading to Beacon Academy!” Weiss shouted.

‘Yang’s in trouble.’

“So, let’s jump into the fray.” Blake quietly answered. 

Weiss pointed a finger at Link.

“But _first,_ heal yourself, dolt!” Weiss hissed.

Link sheepishly chuckled. Mipha gladly healed his wounds. The boy stood up. Weiss scrutinized him before waltzing off. Blake and Link followed. As they left the fairgrounds, a familiar sense of terror flared in Link’s heart. 

The state of the city was _terrible._ Grimm roamed the streets, terrifying innocent civilians. Atlas’ robotic soldiers went rogue, shooting at _anyone_ they saw. White Fang members brutalized defenseless humans. 

Fires broke out. Heavy smog filled the air. 

Link choked when he noticed a few mangled, bloody bodies strewn about the town. One of them was a child, no less than six. Deathly pale skin. Blank blue eyes permanently widened in fear. Messy blonde hair. Next to the child was a pink stuffed bunny rabbit. It was saturated with blood.

The Hylian’s mind warped. As he stared at the ravaged city, he thought he heard the telltale sound of Guardians heavy footfalls. He began to see other Hylians scream and cry for help. He saw a Hylian get caught by a Guardian's laser. Melting flesh. Sobbing. Another laser. Dea-

Someone shook him.

“-ink! Link! _Link_!”

It was Weiss.

Link shook his head.

‘I’m alright.’

Blake gave him a dubious look.

“You _just_ had a panic attack.” Blake said flatly.

 _Let’s go with that, sure._

Link smiled at her, ‘Yeah, had!’

Weiss glowered at him but decided not to pry. Blake’s eyes widened once she noticed a small group of Grimm getting closer to them.

To avoid being spotted, the trio hid behind a wall.

“How can we get past all of them?” Weiss asked.

‘Attack them?’

“One, there’s _too_ many and they’ll just keep coming.” Blake started.

“Two, it will detract time from reaching Beacon Academy.” Weiss curtly finished.

Link furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

_Maybe I could use Revali and carry them? But, that’s not realistic, I would only be able to carry one person. Whoever I don’t pick would have to rely on their speed or Semblance to catch up. Weiss would get tired very quickly if she uses her Semblance too much. So wh- Oh. I got it!_

‘I have an idea! Let’s run across the rooftops, that way and we won’t have to deal with anything down below.’

Blake and Weiss firmly nodded. The white haired girl used her Semblance to land on a nearby roof. Blake did the same, allowing her clone to propel herself onto the rooftop. As much as Link wanted to climb the small building, he couldn’t waste any time. The Hylian called for Revali. Revali spread his transparent wings and gracefully landed on the roof. Link regained control of his body. Link glanced around. He spotted the glowing green orbs in Ozpin’s tower a far distance away. The boy pointed to it. Blake and Weiss started running. Link followed suit. They safely jumped over a couple of buildings. 

They stopped at a large gap. Just as Weiss activated her Semblance to get across, Link held out a hand.

‘Conserve your stamina, Weiss.’

Weiss nodded. She turned to her teammate. Blake unwrapped the ribbon from her arm. She held onto an end as she tossed it towards a faraway rooftop. The end of ribbon caught on a tiny pole. Blake tied her end of the ribbon on a larger pole. The Faunus unsheathed her sword and held it horizontally. The front of the blade was pointed away from her chest. The girl ziplined across the black ribbon. She used her Semblance to quickly reach the other rooftop.

Weiss followed suit. Link untied the ribbon from the large pole. He held the loose end of Blake’s ribbon. The boy got a running start before leaping across the building. His head smacked into the brick wall. Link ignored the pain and climbed up the ribbon. The Hylian smiled at an impressed Blake. Weiss looked a second away from criticizing him. 

A rogue Atlas soldier overheard their commotion. Its glowing blood red head snapped up to the trio. The humanoid robot signaled six other soldiers. Weiss gave an annoyed look to Link.

“You were saying we won’t have to deal with anything down below? _Well,_ here we are.” Weiss sarcastically remarked.

Link shrugged.

“Let’s just deal with them up here.” Blake stated. 

Link retrieved his other sword from his back. He swiftly turned the scimitars into the crossbow. He nocked an explosive arrow. Weiss noticed what he was doing, and decided to help him. The girl dug into her pouch and pulled out a red Dust crystal. She grinned softly to herself. Link glanced at the crystal in confusion.

“ _Watch._ ” Weiss said with a clever smirk.

The white haired girl threw the Dust crystal on the broken sidewalk. It rolled uselessly towards the small android army. 

“Shoot it.” Weiss clarified when Link gave her another perplexed look.

Link shot the explosive arrow at the Dust crystal. The crystal heated up and began to glow. It shattered. Link’s eyes widened like saucers. A disgustingly _large_ explosion went off. The boy’s ears rang.

The blast destroyed the machines with ease. It also wrecked a couple of tiny buildings. Grimm followed the loud noise. Weiss let out an aggravated sigh.

Three Grimm appeared. A gigantic black snake with thin bone plates along its body. Two of the Grimm were a mix between a bird and tiger or lion. They had the head, wings and talons of a large predatory bird. The rear legs, tail and body resembled a tiger. Like other Grimm, they had black fur and feathers. They came included with bone plates and spikes along their bodies. 

The trio eyed the Grimm.

‘I’ll take on the snake.’

“You want to kill a _King Taijitu_ on your own?” Weiss exclaimed.

Link nodded, ‘I don’t think it’ll be hard.’

Weiss shook her head.

The King Taijitu uncoiled itself and raised the upper half of its body. The Grimm towered over Link. The snake hissed loudly. It bared its large fangs and lunged at the boy. He backflipped a bit too early. The boy nocked an ice arrow on the crossbow. He shot the Grimm right in the head. The snake’s head froze. It wriggled around in anger and distress. The King Taijitu repeatedly slammed its head into the building. The ice cracked and fell onto the sidewalk. The Grimm opened its mouth wide. It snapped its jaw shut once the snake caught Link’s legs. The Hylian held back a scream. 

Link glanced at Weiss, then to Blake. As they tried to save Link, the other Grimm intercepted them. The snake violently shook its head, tearing through Link’s legs like a knife to butter. The Hylian yelled out in agony. The Grimm tossed the boy into a building. Link groaned as he crashed through a cracked window. 

The boy called for Revali who flew back up to the rooftop. Revali left Link’s body. The Hylian waved off Blake and Weiss’ concerned looks. He waited for the Grimm to attack again. Once it opened its mouth, Link activated the Remote Bomb Rune. He threw the spherical bomb into the snake’s mouth. The boy detonated the bomb as the snake swallowed it. The Grimm hissed. The King Taijitu was stunned, giving Link ample time to attack. The boy used Magnesis on his weapon. He embedded the dual blades into the snake’s neck and quickly dragged the swords down. 

Weiss and Blake glanced at each other. Blake avoided an attack from a Grimm, as Weiss did the same. The white haired girl created that _special_ glyph. Ice rose petals flew in the air as a life sized version of Ruby appeared. Like the tiny ice copy from before, it was cracked in several places. Instead of her signature weapon, the summon held onto a bladed bo staff. Blake rose an eyebrow at a blushing Weiss. The heiress refused to meet her eyes.

“Blake, I want to try something!” Weiss exclaimed.

“Like what?”

“Use a Dust based attack on my summon.”

“You mean Ruby.” Blake deadpanned with a teasing smile.

Weiss huffed. Blake created a clone. The clone was imbued in fire. It stood in place. Weiss’ summon jabbed at the clone. The clone burst into flames. The glyph briefly formed under the ice copy’s feet. The rings of the glyph were orange and red. The summon swiftly turned around, facing the King Taijitu. It dashed along the rooftop and jumped on the snake’s head. The summon twirled the bo staff in its hands. The ice copy firmly held its weapon, raising it above its head. The summon stabbed the King Taijitu in the head. The bo staff emitted a large blast of flames. The snake flailed around as it turned into ash. The summon silently cheered as it hopped back to the rooftop. Weiss smiled.

The remaining Grimm snarled at them. The trio shared a look.

‘Now that the snake is out of the way, I think it’s best to run away.’

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Link.

‘What? These guys look pretty weak, so what’s the point in killing them? We’re gonna run out of time, anyway.’

“Link is right. We can’t waste anymore time, Weiss.” Blake added on.

Weiss nodded, dispelling her summon. The duo continued to run, while Link used Revali to fly around. When they _finally_ arrived at Beacon Academy, they were at a loss for words. The school was in a similar state to the city. Blake tightly gripped Link’s wrist.

“I _know_ it looks bad, Link, but you have to stay strong.” Blake whispered.

‘Staying strong was never an easy thing to do, but I have to keep trying.’

Blake nodded.

Weiss abruptly spoke up, changing the course of the conversation. She set her determined gaze onto Blake and Link.

“Blake! Go find Yang. I’ll search for Ruby.”

‘What about me?’

Before Weiss could respond, Ozpin called Link.

 _Perfect timing._ Link scowled at his Scroll as he answered the call.

‘Nevermind. I got something to do. Be careful, alright?’

“Link! Wait!” Weiss called.

The boy used Revali once again, leaving the two girls behind. Blake and Weiss wordlessly stared at him.

“Good luck, Weiss.”

“Same to you.”

With those parting words, Weiss and Blake split up. Blake ran towards Beacon Academy, while Weiss stayed outside.

* * *

Weiss began her search for Ruby. If she was honest with herself, she was terribly worried. Logically, she _knew_ her team leader could fight well enough on her own, but illogically, she also knew how dangerous Beacon Academy was right now. The future heiress was terrified of losing one of her _first_ friends. Her cheeks heated into a bright cherry red when she thought of _another_ word. 

Weiss shook her head. The girl couldn’t be distracted by her feelings! She _had_ to make sure Ruby was safe and sound as she could be. Weiss avoided fighting large mobs of Grimm and White Fang members, choosing to run away or hide. It wasn’t the strategy she _normally_ used, but she held up with Link’s request. Conserving energy and time.

Once the girl found a relatively safe spot, she called Ruby. As the seconds ticked by, Weiss grew more concerned. Her heart leapt out her chest in relief once the young team leader answered.

“Hey, Weiss!”

Weiss clutched her chest and sighed. Ruby _sounded_ okay.

“Hello, Ruby. Where are you right now?”

“Uh, I’m at Beacon! So, at the coliseum, there was a huge Nevermore and everyone was scared! But the great Huntresses and Huntsmen in training used the rocket lockers to pin it down and-”

“Ruby, Ruby! You can tell me all that _later._ What’s important is your safety, you dolt!” Weiss cut her off, wearing a fond smile on her face.

“I was _getting_ to that! I’m alright. After we beat up the Grimm, we escaped to Beacon Academy! Everyone is kinda scattered, so I have no idea where Jaune or Pyrrha is! Or even Nora and Ren.”

“What about Mercury and Emerald?”

“I’m not sure?”

Ruby was an awful liar. Weiss pretended to believe her.

“Oh no. I hope that we can find them.” Weiss said in a flat tone.

Ruby sputtered. The girl said a quick goodbye, leaving Weiss in the dust. The white haired girl chuckled under her breath.

**Little Red <3 has sent a location.**

Weiss sped off into the night. It took her about five minutes to reach the pinned location. The white haired girl panted, gasping for air that came sharp and quick. Her face was flushed with exhaustion. Her legs trembled, screaming at the hot flash of exertion. It didn’t matter. Ruby was a few feet away, firing at several Grimm. In the corner of her eye, she noticed other students fighting, as well. 

The small girl turned to Weiss with a subdued smile. Weiss narrowed her eyes at that. Ruby yelped. The white haired girl noticed one of Penny’s swords firmly tied to Ruby’s belt. 

“You look like you ran a marathon. Damn, the power of lo-”

“Shut _up,_ Mercury!”

Weiss jumped. Hidden away in a corner were Emerald and Mercury. They emerged from their spot. Mercury walked with a confident swagger. Hands in his pockets, a cool smirk on his face. Emerald strode with uncertainty.

“You’re _here_?” Weiss asked slowly in pure disbelief.

“Well, yeah, _somebody,_ not naming names,” Mercury fake coughed into his hand, “ _Yang_ forced, I mean made us promise to stay with you guys, _so._ ”

“Just like that?”

Mercury laughed on the look on Weiss’ face.

“Yeah. Cinder isn’t around Beacon and when we tried to leave the coliseum, Ruby spotted us.” Emerald responded. Her voice was shaky.

The yet was left unsaid, however.

“Oh, and Ruby _begged_ us to come with her. It was really funny, let me tell you.” Mercury added.

“No!” Ruby wailed in embarrassment.

* * *

Blake’s bow curled downwards. She frantically searched for _any_ sign of Yang. The Faunus thought she saw a blur of golden hair, but it wasn’t her teammate. The girl glanced around the school, looking for an opening. Her efforts were rewarded. Blake found a broken window on the first floor. The girl used her Semblance to get inside. 

Blake entered the ruined dining hall. Tables were _everywhere._ Food was splattered on the ground and walls. Ketchup and blood mixed together on shattered glass. 

But, what horrified her the most; what tore her apart only to crudely “fix” her was the sight of her ex-boyfriend. The Faunus stood eerily still, amber eyes going wide in undeniable _fear._ Her black bow was pinned to her head.

The man who she thought she escaped from was _right here._ In Beacon Academy. The safe haven her friends created for her. Blake took a step back. 

Adam Taurus. He was here. He was here. _He was here._ Blake wanted to vomit.

Adam, the man with windswept fiery red and light brown hair. The _Faunus_ with sharp, slanted black horns. The mask he _always_ wore burned into her memories; white with a hint of tan, red horn-like symbols and two slits. Adam even wore the same outfit when she ~~made the worst mistake of her life~~ confessed to him. A black long-sleeved suit jacket with slit sleeves. It had similar red designs, along with a white pattern on the left side. The inside of the jacket was red with flame-like accents on the bottom. His emblem, a wilting rose was on the back in a white floral pattern. It was half buttoned, just like the last time she saw it. Underneath, he had a blood red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar. 

Adam topped the outfit off with black slacks, shoes with red soles and pitch black gloves.

The Faunus threw a Beacon Academy student onto the floor. They were knocked out.

“Oh, _no._ A-Adam?”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, my darling?” Adam asked.

Blake held back her tears. The _grin_ Adam wore frightened her. Cunning. ~~Sweet.~~

“Why are you here?!” Blake hissed, trying to hide her fear.

“The better question is, why did you _leave_ me, Blake?”

Blake forced herself to stay quiet. When the seconds _slowly_ went by, Adam became fed up with her silence. Instead of taking it out on her, ~~telling her sweet nothings after he beat her down, carving his name into her thigh, convincing her that his outbursts were little accidents~~ he unsheathed his blood red chokutō. Blake rushed towards him before he could cut down the innocent student. Their blades clashed _instantly._ The girl pushed Adam away from the student. 

“ _Answer_ me, sweetheart. Was I not _good_ enough for you?” Adam bitterly asked. Anger seeped through the cracks of his voice.

“Did I not give you a home to stay in? Food to eat?”

Adam was right.

No he wasn’t. He _wasn’t._ _He wasn’t._ The adoration he had for her slowly changed into something _darker._ Adam said it was love. Abuse. Verbal. Physical. Mental. Possessiveness. _Too_ tight hugs. Warnings. Isolation.

“Love me, always.”

“ **You** belong to **me!** No one else.”

“Who’s fault is that, hm? It’s **your fault** that I’m like **this!** ”

“I didn’t mean to hit you! **I’m sorry!** It was an **accident!** The mission went wrong, the humans got away before I could **kill** them.”

“Let’s change the world, together. Let’s **right** the humans’ **wrongs.** No, no, I won’t hurt them ~~yet,~~ the White Fang is a peaceful group, remember?”

“ **My** name looks so **good** on your thigh.”

Blake was caught off guard by a quick slice. 

“This could’ve been _our_ day, Blake!” Adam screamed at her.

“ _This_ isn’t peace! It isn’t equality. This- This is mass murder!” Blake cried.

Blake raised Gambol Shroud as the blade folded into its pistol mode. She shot at Adam. He blocked the two bullets with his sword. The dark red blade glowed.

“Those _humans_ deserve this! They were the ones who enslaved us, Blake. Don’t you understand?”

“Two wrongs don’t make a _right._ ”

“It _does_ if you’re willing to make necessary sacrifices!”

Adam sheathed the blade and backhanded Blake across the face. The Faunus fell over with a pained grunt. Adam caressed her cheek.

“I think I just might have to kill _everyone_ you love as the _biggest_ sacrifice.”

“Blake!” Yang called.

Yang’s voice drawn their attention for different reasons. Adam was furious that he was interrupted. Blake was terrified. If Yang found her, there was no doubt that she’d save her. She was going to get herself _killed._

“Blake! Where the hell are you?!”

Adam smirked down at Blake. 

“I’ll start with _her._ ”

“Adam, please don’t! Don’t hurt her, _please._ She isn’t impor-”

“ _Shut_ up.”

Adam unsheathed his sword. He _stabbed_ Blake’s abdomen, near her left hip. The man dug the blade into the wound with a serene, out of place smile on his face. The girl shrieked and writhed in agony. Yang whipped her head to the cry. She ran towards the sound, standing right in front of another shattered window. Her lilac eyes narrowed dangerously.

Adam stood upright and swiftly pulled the sword from Blake’s body. He turned, facing Yang.

“You’re,” Yang paused, her voice pitching lower and _lower_ in anger, “you’re _him,_ aren’t you?! Stay the _fuck_ away from her!”

Yang’s voice promptly went shrill, almost _screaming_ at the top of her lungs. Her lilac eyes instantly turned blood red as her hair began to glow. A burst of golden fire formed around her body. Angry tears ran down her face.

Blake reached out for Yang with a tearful expression on her face.

“No, _don’t._ ” Blake whispered.

Yang couldn’t hear her. The blonde pulled her fist back as she leapt in the air. Adam slashed his sword through the air, the moment Yang came close enough. He activated his Semblance. The red accents in his hair, clothes and sword glowed.

As Yang was struck with the blade, her Aura immediately ran out. She flew past him, her body crashed into the messy floor. Yang clung to consciousness. Lilac eyes focusing and unfocusing.

“Bl-” Yang rasped.

A split second later and Yang passed out, curled up on her side.

Blake’s eyes widened with _horror._

A foot away. The lower half of Yang’s right arm dropped to the ground.

Blood was _everywhere._

Adam slowly sauntered towards Yang in an attempt to finish the job. He swung the blade, casting the blood aside. Before he could kill Yang, Blake rushed in front of her. She glared at the man. Adam frowned.

“Why must you hurt me, Blake?”

Adam cut Blake down. The girl’s head detached from her body. Her whole body turned pitch black as thick mist spewed from her neck. Adam turned around, watching the real Blake escape with an unconscious Yang in tow. The man clicked his tongue and slowly began his pursuit. A Grimm tried to ambush him. He killed it without even looking.

* * *

Amongst the chaos, the ground rumbled. A large Grimm erupted from a faraway mountain, Mountain Glenn. It strongly resembled a wyvern. It had large red bat-like wings with the membrane being transparent. It sported a pair of legs and a spiked tail. The Grimm had thick black skin with familiar bone-like spines along its body. It included an external spiked skull, a rib cage and a row of dorsal spikes. It had six yellow-red eyes. The enormous dragon-like Grimm flew towards Vale, summoning more Grimm in its wake.

* * *

A _loud_ scream filled with agony tore through Link’s mind. The boy clutched his head as he gasped. He trembled as that high pitched scream replayed in his head. Broken. Pained. Angry. It sounded like Yang. 

It _was_ her.

Ozpin gave him a concerned look.

“What’s the matter, Link?” Ozpin asked.

‘I thought I heard Yang.’

“Yang isn’t anywhere near the vault.”

‘I heard her voice in my head.’ Link clarified.

Ozpin hummed in response, not sure what to say.

‘I have to go. She’s in trouble!’

“You _cannot_ leave this room. We must wait for-”

‘For Qrow? For Glynda?’

Link glared darkly at Ozpin.

“They, including Ironwood, are currently defending the school and city under my orders. Thus, making them unavailable.” Ozpin calmly explained.

‘Fine. While we wait, I’ll just ask some questions. Answer them for once, alright?’

Ozpin rose an eyebrow, but nonetheless nodded. 

‘If we aren’t waiting for any of the adults, who are we actually waiting for?’

“Miss Nikos.”

Link clenched his fists.

‘You’re starting the process early. Why.’

“We _don’t_ have time! Cinder will appear at _any_ moment, the Grimm are on a rampage, Atlesian androids went rogue and the White Fang have invaded!”

Link simmered in anger.

‘Next question. The door.’

Ozpin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

‘The door behind the Fall Maiden. It opened once I touched it. You know about that door, don’t you?’

Ozpin covered his mouth with his sleeve. He dropped his hand to his side and sighed. With a _tired_ expression, he responded gravely.

“Yes. This door can _only_ be opened by Maidens, or in this case, you. That’s rather strange, however.”

‘What’s inside of it?’

“I’m not quite sure.” Ozpin replied.

Link couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. Despite this, he called him out.

‘You aren’t lying, are you?’

“Whatever is inside that door is my secret to keep, Link.”

The boy reluctantly dropped the topic. He looked away. An uncomfortable silence formed around the room. Link impatiently waited for Pyrrha to arrive. Eventually, she did. With a plus one. Jaune Arc. The couple gasped for air. They seemed to have raced to reach the vault. Ozpin gave Pyrrha a questioning glance.

“I was worried about her.” Jaune nervously replied.

Jaune eyed Link, then Amber with wide eyes.

“Link! What are you doing here? What _is_ this? _Who_ is that?” Jaune asked.

Jaune flinched at the expression Link wore. Cold and dismissive. Bright blue eyes darkened with something Jaune couldn’t put a finger on. It scared him.

‘Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.’

Jaune’s jaw dropped. He _never_ saw Link act like this. On bad days, his friend was distant and mostly unresponsive. Link didn’t really show his emotions much, sure, he _smiled_ and laughed, but he rarely displayed the emotions he kept hidden. Whenever they asked about him or his past, he would skirt around answering, never giving complete details.

But _this_ anger coming from Link absolutely unnerved him. Maybe Jaune was being a little silly, Link was his _friend._ His mentor, too. 

“Okay!” Jaune replied in a high pitched, clearly frightened tone. 

Jaune directed his question to Pyrrha.

“This is a,” Pyrrha paused, taking a shaky breath, “vault.”

“You’ve been here before? _Why_?” Jaune asked.

Pyrrha looked away, clutching her left arm.

“That’s unimportant.” Pyrrha answered softly. 

Ozpin ordered Pyrrha to go inside the pod, while suggesting Link and Jaune guard the hallway outside of the vault. Pyrrha walked up to the open pod with an uncertain expression on her face. It morphed into sadness as she wiped a tear from her eye. She glanced at Jaune, who looked back with a nervous smile. The girl entered the pod. The lid closed.

Ozpin stationed himself in front of the holographic screen. He set his gaze on Pyrrha.

“Are you ready, Miss Nikos?”

Pyrrha gave him a slow nod.

Ozpin grimaced.

“I,” he paused, “I need to hear you say it.”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

Ozpin tapped away at the screen, raising Amber’s pod. The comatose woman began to glow orange. Her eyelids fluttered open. The orange glow traveled along the pipes that connected the two pods. As the orange energy was transferred into Pyrrha’s pod, the redhead also began to glow. Pyrrha screamed as if she was being murdered. Link flinched. 

Jaune swiftly turned around as panic painted his face. Just as he attempted to run towards her, Link tightly grabbed his wrist. They shared a look. Panic gave way to fierce protectiveness. Jaune knocked his hand away with a bit _too_ much force, causing the shorter boy to stumble. Surprise quickly flooded Link’s formerly cold expression. A wry smile found itself on Link’s face. Without a second thought, Jaune rushed to Pyrrha’s side.

Link’s wrist slightly stung. _He got a lot stronger, it seems._

The boy barely caught wind of an arrow whizzing past him. It pierced the glass of Amber’s pod. The arrow struck the woman’s chest. Amber let out a gasp, brown eyes widening before slipping shut. The machine sounded an alarm, which constantly rang throughout the vault.

Three heads whipped to the sight of Cinder Fall smirking at them. She lowered an obsidian glass bow in her hands. The black haired woman glanced at each male, almost in a disapproving manner.

“ _You’re_ involved in Ozpin’s little inside job? I’m not even surprised.” Cinder drawled to Link.

Link didn’t respond to her. Before he could even attack her, Amber died. The woman went limp inside the pod. The green flames that lit the torches throughout the corridor were snuffed out. The orange energy went back to the deceased Amber, then burst out of her. The energy completely shattered the glass and promptly entered Cinder’s body. In a fit of desperation, Pyrrha banged on the lid. Stress and frustration mixed into one as Pyrrha beat on the glass even harder.

Link stared at Cinder in horror. She began to glow, floating upwards. The woman gained a trail of orange fire-like energy in her eyes with the same colored energy swirling around her. 

The power hungry woman set her terrifying, murderous gaze to _Jaune._

“And _you’re_ one of the brats who brainwashed my _poor_ children.”

“We didn’t do _anything_!” Jaune screamed at her.

Cinder outstretched her flaming right hand towards Jaune. Link grit his teeth, tightening his grip on his shield. The woman moved her hand in Link’s direction. The movement was quicker than Ruby’s Semblance. The new Fall Maiden casted a _huge_ fireball, hurling it towards Link, instead. Jaune blocked the massive projectile. Despite his improved strength, he was blasted backwards. Jaune landed on his back. 

Pyrrha screeched Jaune’s name, finally getting out of the pod with her Semblance. She threw the lid at Cinder, who flicked it away as if it was _nothing._ Cinder began to descend onto the floor with a satisfied grin on her face. Pyrrha called her weapon and shield to her side with her Semblance. Ozpin stopped her. He ordered the girl to leave with Jaune and notify the adults in his circle. The girl hesitated for a moment before scooping Jaune up and booking it. 

Cinder’s feet finally touched the ground. The flames around her extinguished. Her eyes glowed even brighter than before, staring the two males down.

“ _Salem_ was right about the _both_ of you. A man filled with _arrogance_ and secrets,” Cinder turned to Ozpin with a frown, then to Link with a scowl, “and a _broken_ little boy who has no right playing _hero._ ”

Ozpin, for all intents and purposes looked down right _pissed._ Eyebrows completely furrowed to his eyes. Chocolate brown eyes darkening and thinning. A more than disgruntled frown plastered on his usually calm face. He kept a white knuckle grip on his cane.

Link’s expression made Ozpin’s face look like a _pout_ in comparison. Cinder shook her head as if she was _scolding_ them for stealing a cookie.

They stared each other down, waiting for either person to attack. Link aimed his crossbow at Cinder. He nocked an arrow and shot it. The woman disintegrated the arrow before it even _reached_ her. Within a millisecond, Cinder was _right_ in front of him. They locked eyes. Greedy amber eyes met determined yet terrified blue. The woman melted part of the floor below her, creating a large cluster of floating magma. Lava particles oozed onto the ruined floor. Cinder hurled them at Link with startling speed. 

The boy couldn’t use Daruk in time. 

Luckily, Ozpin deflected them all with rapid flicks of his cane. Link stared at the man in _shock._ Ozpin was just as fast as Cinder.

“Stay back, Link!” Ozpin yelled, not taking his eyes off Cinder. 

Link saw a blur of green and red chase after each other. Wherever Cinder and Ozpin clashed, the blurs stopped, turning back into bodies. Ozpin glanced at the wall for a _very_ brief moment. The man darted across the room, vaulting off of one of the pillars in the dark hallway. Link went into the line of fire, distracting the new Fall Maiden. The boy smiled once his nearly suicidal plan _worked._ Cinder made a mistake, focusing on Link rather than Ozpin. The woman launched a flurry of fireballs towards the boy. As the fireballs closed in, Link called on Daruk. Daruk grinned in relief once his orange dome formed around his body. He successfully blocked the incoming projectiles, at a cost. The dome had small cracks. 

Ozpin’s hands glowed a bright green as the magic transferred over to his cane. The man struck Cinder with his cane, pushing her back a large distance away. Cinder recovered, dashing towards the headmaster. Ozpin pointed the cane towards the woman. The embellished gray handle with golden gears and a knuckle guard, glowed. Small green light floated around the gray-black square shaped shaft of the cane. 

A green blast erupted from the handle. Cinder dodged the beam, watching it create a huge crater on the floor. The Fall Maiden returned to the air, eyes glowing ominously. Ozpin reacted quickly. He slammed his cane into the ground, forming a spherical green force field in front of him. At the same time, Cinder unleashed a gigantic fireball towards Ozpin as he leapt into the attack. The force field remained intact as he closed in on her. Daruk played it safe, using his Protection once more.

The _second_ their magic clashed together, a large scale explosion went off inside the vault. The Goron's ears rung. Daruk’s dome cracked even further. As the smoke cleared, Daruk stood still yet prepared. The Goron Champion noticed Ozpin's cane covered in ash. He grimaced.

“Don’t worry, _Link,_ you’re next.” Cinder cooed.

Daruk glared at her, turning his crossbow into a dual glaive. Cinder tsked.

“Do you _really_ want to waste such a good weapon? I can easily destroy them, you know.” Cinder taunted.

Daruk pocketed his weapons with a grunt. Without his weapons, he would be at a disadvantage. The Goron would _not_ be able to react in time to Cinder’s devastating speed, either. Even if he used Urbosa instead, Link was sure that Cinder would avoid Urbosa’s Fury with ease. 

Cinder _definitely_ noticed his inner turmoil and shushed him like a parent would to a crying child. 

“I’ll go easy on you, so you won’t be too hopeless against me.” Cinder said with a smirk.

Realization dawned on Link. Gorons could sustain heat. They all lived near an _active_ volcano without any issues. Daruk grinned as if he greeted a long time friend. Cinder gave him a pointed, disgruntled look. The Goron Champion didn’t say a thing. The woman snarled, casting an array of fireballs at Daruk. They were different sizes. Daruk dropped his orange dome, allowing himself to be hit by a few projectiles. The flames licked at his skin. To Daruk, the fire brought a comforting and warm feeling. _Link_ felt pain. Since most of his body was still _flesh_ and not rock solid, burns formed along his chest and arms.

_‘Sorry, Sworn Brother! I’ll be more careful, little man!’_

Link internally flushed at the title. He hadn’t called the Hylian that in a while.

_It’s fine, as long as you’re not affected by Cinder’s fire, we’ll be okay!_

Cinder eyed Daruk in blatant confusion. Her expression bloomed into _understanding._

“I _see,_ the washed up hero is hiding behind a _shield._ How brave.” Cinder taunted.

Daruk played dumb, staring at Cinder and shrugging. The woman seemed annoyed. Using her building frustration, she summoned _another_ huge fireball. It quickly descended towards Daruk, who formed the cracked orange barrier around him. It cracked again. The cracks ran much deeper, signaling how long it would last. Cinder glowered at the Goron. He grinned at her. The woman virtually _teleported_ within a blink of an eye. Her speed caught Daruk off guard. Cinder’s right hand glowed orange. Her palm sparked, heating up instantly. The woman’s hand came in contact with Dark’s chest. Fire burst from her hand. The Goron smiled, despite Link screaming into his head. More burns littered his tan body. Daruk went in for a punch. Cinder didn’t even bother to dodge the attack. She smirked, despite being pushed away.

“How long can you keep this up, _hero_?” Cinder hissed.

Cinder’s face lit up with an idea. Both Daruk and Link were filled with dismay. The woman melted huge chunks of the pillars. She separated them as the pieces turned into magma. They multiplied. Cinder reformed them, morphing the magma into tiny spears. They were launched at different speeds, catching the Goron off guard. He did his best to dodge or block some them. While Daruk was preoccupied, Cinder melted her glass bow into something else. The curved shape of the glass blade became straight. Inside the glass was a roaring fire. The single blade strongly resembled a longsword. 

The woman darted towards Daruk, flaming sword at the ready. As Cinder struck Daruk, the Goron used his Protection one last time. Cinder snarled at him. Fed up, the woman launched Daruk into the ceiling with a fireball. The Goron let out groan once he fell back down.

“Have you had enough yet? You’ve only managed to hit me _once_ and that’s because I _let_ you.”

Daruk didn’t respond, choosing to stand up. Cinder mused to herself.

“Perhaps I should use you as target practise. You’re rather durable and it’s quite frankly getting _annoying._ ”

Cinder planted her feet to the ground. She stomped her left foot, breaking the floor. Part of the broken floor rose up to seven feet. The floor rushed towards Daruk. The Goron rapidly punched the approaching attack to break it. Cinder easily reinforced the moving wall. It _slammed_ into Daruk, crushing him into a wall. His head violently smacked into the wall, aching _badly._ Link made a small, confused sound. The back and right side of his head bled profusely. The blood cascaded from his right temple and eye to his chin. His right eye dilated. He couldn’t see out of it.

Daruk slowly gave Link control of his body. The Hylian looked at Cinder, dazed. The wall subsided back into the floor. Cinder smirked down at an extremely disoriented Link.

“I thought you were _stronger_ than this.” Cinder mocked.

Link’s face scrunched up in confusion. He sluggishly signed, not realizing that Cinder couldn’t understand him.

‘What’re talkin’ ‘bout?’

Cinder scoffed at the boy. Link blinked, taking a bit to open and close his eyes. The woman fluidly moved her hand, drawing the excess blood from Link towards her. The blood danced like water, graceful and haunting. The boy watched the blood solidify into large, sharp pins. They mercilessly stabbed Link’s arms, pinning them to the wall. The boy gasped and thrashed around. Cinder sauntered over to the Hylian with a wide grin. 

“Didn’t I promise you that I’d take what I rightfully deserve? Or are you too hurt to understand?” 

Link’s left eye seemed to regain some kind of clarity. Anger flashed on his face. His hair turned red, transforming like a wave. Urbosa’s green eyes glared up at Cinder.

 _“I fail to see what exactly you deserve, greedy vai. This power does not and will_ never _belong to you.”_ Urbosa criticized.

As Cinder fumed with rage, Urbosa used her Fury. The Gerudo’s eyes widened. The sparks were a _lot_ smaller. It barely reached Cinder, despite the minimal distance between them. Even worse, the electricity bore scars on Urbosa’s dark skin. The spider web-like scars bloomed like an enchanting but _painful_ flower. Urbosa spat out blood.

“What did you say, again?” Cinder taunted.

Urbosa’s spirit fizzled out of Link’s body, returning control. Cinder shook her head. The woman changed her sword into a flaming spear. With deadly and quick accuracy, Cinder threw it directly into Link’s chest. The boy choked. His body spasmed _hard._ He hoarsely screamed as tears ran down his face. 

Everything _burned._ His blood boiled like piping hot water. His insides cried for mercy as it was scorched with never ending flames. His bones were in the process of _melting._

Cinder only increased the temperature with a grin on her face. The woman turned the bloody pins back into liquid. Link’s body dropped to the floor with a sickening _thud._ Cinder picked his burnt body by the hair. The Fall Maiden greedily stared into dull, lifeless eyes. She wore a smug smile as she used her other hand, wrapping it around Link’s neck. The woman made due on her declaration, attempting to take the Champions’ abilities away.

Cinder _instantly_ dropped the body. Her hands tugged at her hair. Four different eyes invaded her mind, glaring daggers at Cinder. The woman scowled and walked towards the sealed door, instead. Smirking, Cinder placed a hand on the door. It glowed and opened. Cinder went inside, closing the door behind her. The room had no visible walls or ceiling. In place of walls, floor or ceiling, the area had pitch black sand and broken glass. Cinder looked up to see a sky. It was filled with billowing smog and floating magenta embers. The sky itself was dyed in eerie pink. Cinder did a double take of a small but completely intact moon. 

The woman squinted at a golden and cyan pedestal in the distance. She raced towards it. A golden crown with cyan gems floated an inch above the pedestal. The crown had three pointed arches in the front; it resembled spears. The spear-like arch in the middle was the largest. The crown was engraved with leaves, like a wreath. The gems were cut like leaves as well.

Cinder snatched it without fanfare. It shrunk down to the size of a bracelet. The woman got what Salem asked for. The Fall Maiden exited the room with a proud smile. The woman summoned a Grimm bug via the tattoo on her upper back. A small black and red portal appeared. Cinder threw the expanding crown into it. The portal closed.

The woman glanced around, noticing that Link’s body and Ozpin’s cane vanished. Cinder cursed under her breath.

* * *

Pyrrha took a deep breath, using her Semblance to move her shield behind Jaune. She let her boyfriend lean against the back of her shield. The girl attempted to calm her rapid heartbeat. It didn’t work. She was afraid of losing her headmaster and closest friend to Cinder. Jaune mumbled, babbling on about something. She watched the boy take out his Scroll, searching for Ms. Goodwitch’s number.

Pyrrha couldn’t help but look back at Beacon Tower. She silently stared at Ozpin’s tower, worried. Jaune snapped her jittery thoughts in two. 

“Pyrrha! What’s going _on_?” Jaune asked in alarm. 

The couple heard _loud_ winds coming from the tower. They watched as Revali burst out of the tower though a broken window. He zoomed down onto the ground as violent winds tore through the area. He landed right in front of them. 

Green eyes stared them down in relief.

 _“The both of you are alive, that’s good.”_

“Link, er, Revali! What happened in there?” Jaune asked.

A dark look passed Revali’s face.

 _“Cinder defeated Ozpin.”_

Both Pyrrha and Jaune went pale.

“Is he-” Pyrrha began, tearing up.

Before Pyrrha could finish her question, they were interrupted by an explosion. Cinder let out a stream of fire from both hands, flying out of the rising elevator shaft. They all stared at the woman. Revali grit his teeth. Pyrrha looked scared yet determined. She turned to an anxious Jaune.

“Jaune, go to Vale! Find team RWBY and the others. Once you do, _stay_ and call for help.” Pyrrha firmly ordered.

“Pyrrha, _please_ don’t do what I think you’re going to do! _Don’t_ go up th-”

“It’s _my_ responsibility and duty as a Huntress in training to _fight_ her!”

“At _least_ let me come with you or get back up! You _can’t_ do this on your _own._ Cinder’s too powerful!”

 _“Jaune, listen to Pyrrha and get_ out _of here! Now.”_

Jaune stayed put. Pyrrha walked up to him, cupping his face with her hands. The boy stopped his his tracks, blushing hard. The girl offered him a small, sad smile before kissing him on the lips. He quickly returned it.

Revali looked away.

The kiss ended. Pyrrha pulled away. The redhead whispered an apology. The girl placed a hand on his cheek and chest before activating her Semblance on Jaune’s armor. She pushed him directly into an open locker, which slammed shut from the impact. Jaune pleaded loudly. His voice was muffled by the locker. Pyrrha walked over to the locker and began to type in coordinates. She looked him in the eyes one last time as she backed away. The locker flew away, vanishing into the distance.

Pyrrha turned to Revali, clenching her fists. She stared hard at him, emerald eyes shining with grim determination. 

“ _Are you ready?_ ”

“No.”

_“Like you, I’m not prepared, either. But, that hardly matters right now.”_

They gazed at Ozpin’s tower.

* * *

Ruby, Weiss, Mercury and Emerald ran through the Grimm infested school grounds. The team leader practically zoomed across the pathways, frantically cutting down monsters.

“Hey! Ruby, where are you going?!” Mercury rasped, struggling to breathe.

Ruby didn’t stop. 

“Check the chat and keep running!” Ruby yelled back.

“I’d have to stop, idiot!” Mercury shot back.

Ruby skidded to a stop. Rose petals flew down to the cracked ground. She looked somber.

“Yang and Blake. They got hurt really bad, but Sun didn’t tell me what happened and-”

“Ruby, calm down. What did Sun say?” Weiss tried to comfort her.

“I have to see for myself.” Ruby nervously responded.

Mercury and Emerald winced. They shared a look.

“Why don’t _we_ go?” Emerald suggested.

“But- but my sister and Blake! I have to go, too!” Ruby cried.

“Nah, you’re too young for that shit, so we’ll go instead. We’ll let you know if anything happens, though.”

Ruby slumped, muttering a defeated ‘okay.’ The young team leader pulled out her Scroll, showing the duo where her injured teammates were located. They sped off into the night.

Weiss walked in tandem with a sad looking Ruby.

“I know you want to see Blake and Yang, but I think it’s best if you don’t. Sun most likely hid the truth from you for a _reason._ ”

“I’m not a kid! _I’m_ supposed to be RWBY’s team _leader,_ I _have_ to look after them because-” Ruby hiccuped and sniffled.

“Ruby.” Weiss whispered softly.

A loud song erupted from Weiss’ Scroll. Jaune was calling. Weiss picked up, putting the call on speaker phone.

“Jaune! Where are you?”

“That doesn’t matter! Pyrrha’s in danger. She wants to fight Cinder _alone,_ at Ozpin’s office!”

“What?!” Ruby and Weiss shouted.

“Please, save Pyrrha.” Jaune murmured. 

Weiss heard a frustrated scream from her Scroll. A clattering sound, then the line went dead.

“Jaune? _Jaune_!”

The ground shook, alerting the duo. They watched as the Wyvern flew and circled Beacon Tower from afar. It oozed black tar as it perched on top of the tower, screeching loudly. Ruby held Crescent Rose in her hands with a frown on her face.

“I got a plan, Weiss.”

Weiss pointed her rapier towards the incoming Grimm, “You always do.”

* * *

As Revali stood alongside Pyrrha, powerful winds whipped around them. 

_“Hold tightly onto your weapon, we will take a shortcut.”_

The girl followed the Rito Champion’s instructions. Revali activated Magnesis, using it on Pyrrha’s weapon. He soared through the air, bringing Pyrrha along for the ride. The redhead shouted, eyes wide in shock. Revali glanced at her with a comforting smile. Pyrrha gave him a shaky grin in return. They stormed through the broken window. The duo saw Cinder coax and talk to the Wyvern. 

Link dispelled Revali. The wind around him slowly vanished. He glared at an annoyed Cinder.

“Oh, you’re alive. Pity.” Cinder commented in a bored tone.

The Fall Maiden sounded angry about that. The woman glanced at Pyrrha, rolling her glowing eyes.

“And you’ve brought a friend, wonderful.” Cinder said.

Pyrrha didn’t waste any time. The girl threw her javelin towards Cinder, who casually sidestepped with a cocky smile. The red and golden weapon hit a wall. Pyrrha pulled the weapon out with her Semblance. Now outlined in black, it rapidly spun in a circle. It zoomed towards Cinder’s head. The woman simply tilted her head to avoid the attack. Pyrrha’s eyes widened.

The evil Fall Maiden dashed at a much slower pace than before. Her left palm lit up as fire formed from her hand. With a swipe of a hand, Cinder created a horizontal arch of fire. Pyrrha blocked it with her shield. The javelin returned to her hand, a second after. Link stepped into the fray, calling upon Urbosa. The Gerudo raced towards Cinder. The woman reacted immediately. Six fireballs appeared around the Fall Maiden. They grew larger with each passing second. Cinder quickly directed the flames to Urbosa’s body. The Gerudo leapt and twirled away from the attacks. 

Using her Semblance, Pyrrha launched her shield towards a distracted Cinder. It smacked the woman right in the head. Cinder snarled. The Fall Maiden shot a stream of fire at Pyrrha, who dived over it. As Urbosa attempted to close the distance between her and Cinder, the woman flew into the air. Urbosa scoffed, lending Link’s body over to Revali. The Rito flew after her. Link switched to Daruk as soon as he reached her. The Goron pulled his fist back, going in for a right hook. Cinder seemingly teleported out of the way. Daruk looked behind him, dark blue eyes wide in shock. The woman was _right_ there, facing his back. She put her hands out. They flared with fire. A split second passed. The flames jet out, massive and _fast,_ like explosions. Daruk didn’t have time to defend himself. He plummeted to the ground, saved only by his Protection. 

“Link!” Pyrrha cried.

Daruk got up. He waved off her concern with a wide grin. Cinder returned to the tower. His expression was replaced with a tight smile. The redhead ran towards the woman. Cinder let her get close enough. Pyrrha spun around, slashing Cinder’s left arm. Cinder caught the blade with inhuman reflexes. The Fall Maiden pulled, turning Pyrrha around. The woman slammed her palm into Pyrrha’s stomach. Fire burst forth, blasting her a few feet away. The redhead was knocked into a wall. The attack wasn’t as deadly.

Daruk realized what was happening. Cinder toyed with Pyrrha, getting to her level with slower speed and attacks. Pretending to give her a fighting chance. Daruk switched out for Urbosa, who charged at Cinder. The moment Cinder sprinted towards her, Urbosa snapped her fingers. Electricity sparked and crackled. The large range of the green lightning caught Cinder with ease. Pyrrha took her chance to attack, using her Semblance on Ozpin’s metalic chair. She slammed the chair into Cinder’s body. The girl gasped as the Fall Maiden recovered from Urbosa’s lightening, virtually teleporting out of the affected area; dodging the heavy chair. The woman completely incinerated the chair with a massive burst of flames. 

Cinder molded the red hot chair into a flaming spear. The woman aimed for Urbosa, throwing it with startling speed. Pyrrha managed to stop it in its tracks. Her Semblance deeply embedded the spear into the floor.

_‘Link, I have an idea.’_

_What is it?_

_‘Do you believe the Master Sword can defeat this wretched vai?’_

_Why don’t we find out?_

Smirking, Urbosa took out the legendary blade from her pouch. She unsheathed the glowing sword, locking eyes with Cinder. The Fall Maiden taunted Urbosa. The Gerudo ignored her. Pyrrha rushed towards the Fall Maiden, slashing her weapon at the woman. Cinder tsked, promptly melting the javelin away. Pyrrha’s eyes went wide. Urbosa immediately covered the redhead. One quick slice of the Master Sword caused Cinder to scream out. She was knocked down to the floor. The woman did _not_ look happy. Pyrrha followed up with her Semblance, using Ozpin’s desk to hold Cinder down. The Fall Maiden practically frothed at the mouth in anger. 

A piercing screech was heard. It stopped Urbosa, causing her to flinch. Pyrrha and Cinder gazed at the Wyvern outside. Cinder _grinned,_ while Pyrrha looked fearful. The Grimm slammed its wing into the roof of Ozpin’s office. The woman set fire to the desk and escaped. Cinder dashed towards Pyrrha, and elbowed her in the abdomen. As the windows shattered, the room flashed with a bright green. Both Pyrrha and Urbosa were sent flying. Giant cogs and debris crashed down into the office, breaking a CCTS system. 

Pyrrha crawled for her shield, with Cinder watching her. The woman levitated a few feet off the ground, using her flames. The woman melted a cog and let it form into two short swords. She sent the flaming blades to Urbosa’s elbows, pinning her to the wall. With Urbosa temporarily dealt with, Cinder set her fiery eyes on Pyrrha. To her credit, the girl seemed oddly determined to defeat her. 

Cinder sent two bursts of flames at Pyrrha, who managed to roll out of the way. The Fall Maiden gave the girl an annoyed look. The redhead used her Semblance on the cogs, attempting to pin her down. Cinder dodged each and every one, jumping on top of them. The woman kicked one away with massive flames trailing behind her. The cog was sent careening into Pyrrha. The force of the impact slammed her into the remains of a wall, depleting the last of her Aura. 

Cinder formed the same bow from before. A glass arrow came with it. As Cinder aimed the bow at Pyrrha, the redhead used her Semblance as a last ditch effort. She blocked the arrow. It shattered on the impact. As the fragments began to fall, Cinder melted them down and conjoined them into its previous shape. The arrow struck Pyrrha’s ankle. She collapsed in pain, unable to get back up. Both ends of the arrow broke off, so Pyrrha wouldn’t be able to remove it.

In the corner of Cinder’s eye, she saw Urbosa thrash around. For good measure, the Fall Maiden melted the hilts of the swords, covering it over Urbosa’s hands. Cinder smirked when the dark skinned woman shouted in pain. Cinder turned back to Pyrrha.

“It’s so unfortunate that _you_ were promised a power that you didn’t deserve.”

Pyrrha turned over to her hands and knees as Cinder got closer to her. The woman kneeled down, giving the redhead a smile. She tilted Pyrrha’s chin and stared directly at her.

“But, take comfort in the fact that _I’ll_ use it in ways you could _never_ imagine.” Cinder cooed.

Pyrrha pulled away, matching Cinder’s intense stare, “Do you believe in destiny?”

Cinder frowned, narrowing her glowing eyes.

“ ~~No.~~ _Yes._ ”

The woman backed away, forming the same bow and arrow. She let the arrow loose, piercing her weakened opponent directly in the chest. Pyrrha twitched, gasping in pain as her eyes went wide. The wound emitted a red glow.

Urbosa’s spirit fizzled out of Link. Static buzzed in the Hylian’s mind. He couldn’t make it _stop._ The boy stared at Pyrrha, who wheezed and rasped for air that wouldn’t come. Memories violently flashed in his head. Mipha’s death. Drowning. Blood seeping through pools of water. A slim, bruised and beaten body floating at the water’s surface. Revali’s death. Falling. A broken wing. Turbulent winds slamming a terrified archer into cream colored, ancient walls. A flightless Rito. Daruk’s death. Burning. Cracked shield. Unrelentless, heavy attacks. Urbosa’s death. Quick. Lightening zipping across treasured, old machinery. No time to breathe. A Gerudo Chieftain bested by her own abilities. 

Soon, Pyrrha would follow.

The static cleared, leaving behind a hissing, low pitched voice. Red silk ribbons and thin white string came with it.

**‘Hello, my friend. Now, now before you even ask, I am you.’**

_What._

The new voice inside his head giggled.

 **‘You don’t need to worry. All I ask is that you listen. As I said, we are one in the same. Except, I represent something _else_ within you. Do you understand?’** It cooed.

_Uh-_

**‘In short, I am the parts that you continue to deny. Those dark _what ifs,_ mounting fear and sadistic desires.’**

_I don’t think like that! I’m not-_

**‘Like that pitiful woman over there?’** The voice hissed in anger.

_I’m not a monster like her. I don’t kill people and feel good about it!_

**‘Don’t lie to yourself. I can plainly see those lovely thoughts of ours. You want revenge, don’t you? You want to _hurt_ her, maim her until her body is unre-’**

_No!_

**‘I suppose you would rather watch our friend die, instead?’**

_I-_

**‘Kill her, Link. You’ll be _so_ relieved. Happy. Don’t you want that?’**

**‘Don’t you want to be happy for once?’**

**‘Give in, Link. Be the hero you have to be and save Pyrrha. Do it.’**

**‘Let me help you.’**

Link _screamed,_ tilting his head back. Charcoal quickly devoured the Hylian’s fair skin. Sapphire eyes gave way to menacing magenta irises and glowing orange-yellow slit pupils. Dirty blonde hair shifted to stark white. 

Dark Link snarled. Cinder’s head whipped to it with a raised eyebrow. The demon ripped the blades in its elbows without making a sound. Black blood spewed from the wounds. Dark Link picked up the _heavy_ Master Sword with a grimace. Its right hand glove burned away, as the sacred blade sizzled its dark fingers. Rapid, scorching burns formed on its hand and traveled along its arm. The demon ignored the unbearable pain the best it could. Dark Link zipped towards Cinder, running abnormally fast due to the night. It left a trail of black mist.

The woman sent an array of fireballs. The demon couldn’t care less. It flicked each fireball away with its left hand. Black blood moved on the floor like a snake. It hardened into large spikes. Cinder attempted to blast them away to no avail. The spikes continued to trail after the woman, leading her closer to Dark Link. The demon swung the Master Sword. The tip of the blade nicked Cinder’s left eye, blinding her. The Fall Maiden _yelped._

~~Link~~ The demon grinned at the sound. Dark Link swung the Master Sword into Cinder’s hip, making her fall with a grunt. It instantly pinned her down without a second thought. It stabbed the Master Sword into Cinder’s right armpit, slowly twisting the blade. Dark Link was a little disappointed. She wasn’t bleeding. The woman screamed an awful lot, though. It gleefully smiled down at a _scared_ Cinder. The demon’s left hand wrapped around the Fall Maiden’s neck. Claws punctured her jugular. 

The greedy woman gasped for air, writhing uncontrollably. Before Dark Link could fully deplete her Aura, Cinder counterattacked. The Fall Maiden raised her left hand towards Dark Link’s face. Her palm burst into flames, scarring Dark Link’s face and temporarily blinded the demon. Cinder knocked Dark Link away, using the large flaming spear to pin its body to the cracked floor. The woman shakily walked towards a dying Pyrrha.

* * *

On the ground below, Weiss activated her Semblance, planting glyphs up the side of the tower.

“You can do this, Ruby!” Weiss yelled.

Ruby ran forward, using her Semblance to reach the first glyph. She sprinted up the wall as the glyphs increased her speed. It kept her from falling off the tower.

Ruby reached the top of the tower within seconds, landing in a kneeling position. The young team leader watched as Cinder approached Pyrrha, who seemed to accept her fate. The woman placed a hand on Pyrrha’s head. The girl ceased all movement and sound as her body glowed orange. It scattered as embers. Pyrrha’s headdress was dropped to the ground like a piece of trash. 

Ruby’s silver eyes widened with despair. Tears ran down her pale face. The small girl clenched her fists, curling her arms around her body. She flung her arms out to the sides as she began to levitate off the ground. Blindly bright white light poured from her eyes like wings as she loudly screamed her friend’s name.

“ ** _Pyrrha_!** ”

The white light enveloped Ruby, spreading out to Dark Link, Cinder and the Wyvern. Dark Link growled, then let out a few distressed noises. It clawed uselessly at the floor. Cinder looked at Ruby in complete and utter shock. 

“ _What_?!” Cinder exclaimed. 

* * *

Like a wilting rose, its petals scattered into an unforgiving wind. 

Red awakened at home, lost and confused. 

White was whisked away, forced to head back to a cold, silent castle on her father’s request. 

Black clung to its stem, even as it itched to flee. 

Yellow burned away, leaving ash in its despondent wake. 

Pale yellow huddled near an even tinier cluster, angry and afraid. 

Two pink petals mourned a loss, attempting to move forward. 

Light green and gray followed the red petal. Light green, anxious. Gray, excited. 

Lime green stuck close to the others, worried. 

A ripped petal flew away in the wind. 

* * *

A deathly pale woman stood upright with her arms crossed. She stood atop a stone stairway lined with dark purple crystals. 

The woman’s paper white skin was covered in purple and deep red veins. They ran up her face and arms. The sclerae of her eyes were jet black, while her irises were blood red. The woman had a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead. 

She wore a very long black robe with red designs resembling eyes. On her right index finger, she wore a ring that looked like an insect. Her white hair was tied into a bun with six offshoots. They each had black ribbons around them. 

The woman stared into the distance, eyes glowing. The deathly pale woman smiled. She basked in the chaos her subordinate caused to Beacon Academy. 

“This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin, and I can’t _wait_ to watch you and Link _burn._ ” _Salem_ announced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for Volume 4, everyone!


End file.
